"Look what you've become" "AAHHHHH" *BANG* {The Doctor Who thread}

[ríomhaire]

Well I can safely say that this year's Doctor Who Christmas episode was several hundred times better than the piece of crap that was the last one. It was what you'd expect from a Doctor Who special, pretty, fun, enjoyable and emotional without being too serious.

The very deliberate use of a Christmas Carol as a framing device for the time travellyness was done quite well I think and the acting for the most part was very good (the badly though-out, directed and acted seizures that Scrooge had every time he tried to hit a child in the episode notwithstanding).

The flying fish were cute and I liked the idea even if it doesn't hold much water (sounds to me like the air on that planet should play havok with people's lungs) and the dialogue made me laugh constantly, as did the kinky policewoman-on-Roman honeymoon implications (hurray for costume recycling!)

My only major complaint with the episode comes from the [strike]plot[/strike] weather machine. Scrooge only being able to use it I can handle. It's what sets up the plot and is established as a rule to the viewer early on. The weather machine not responding to him because the Doctor "changed him too much." What? Does it respond to his mental signature or something? What? Did his dad programme it to only respond to miserable old men? This right here shook my willing suspension of disbelief but then I realised that this detail made the timeline make no goddamn sense. The machine not working for Scrooge would change the history of the planet hugely! It would have changed everything. The other things not having any immediate effect outside of Scrooges state of mind is buyable but him not having had control of the weather for the last whatever number of years would change the whole course of the planet and the plot. It just doesn't make sense!

That rant out of the way I thoroughly enjoyed the episode and am looking forward to the new season. Highlights of the trailer for the new season: Nazis (always good), the ship that killed people and was a little like an evil TARDIS from that fairly rubbish episode from the previous season, the Ood (I love the Ood) and no Daleks!

 

[knut]

rather enjoyed the christmas special which is a first for me but the last season of doctor who is really all i've been interested in since eccleston left. i disliked the tennant who's loads, save for the weeping angels, but i stuck with it for the new guy and it wasn't so bad. the trailer for the new series looks quite promosing, plus a neil gaimen written episode to come and an assurance from moffat (i think moffat said this) that no classic monsters will be reappearing in this season. huzzah!

... though, he/it also says somewhere that an old variant of daleks might make an appearance, but i guess it's a given with the BBC that they'll want to bring them back - again - for more ratings and cash-in's. oh well.

 

[ríomhaire]

Despite how much I would love no Daleks in this season, I really doubt it's likely seeing as how much merchandising the BBC gets out of them.

 

[knut]

i'm interested in the prospect of original/older variants, but i could easily take them or leave them. i'd be happier not seeing them at all, basically.

 

[stintage]

I'm hoping for no classic monsters as well.
This is where Stephen Moffat should let out his creativeness, last year he proved himself, but now is his time to shine unlike Davies, who brought the Daleks up in every season finale except the ones where he brought in the master.
However, rumors are circulating about an Egyptian themed episode with the return of the original cybermen.
I'm not completely against old foes returning, just the crappy ones.

 

[Shift]

It was alright, it had its flaws obviously but it was a miles ahead of last years, which was a joke quite frankly.

I disliked how the shark after being completely immobilized suddenly decided it was okay again to start attacking, and the pure overall lack of description on a lot of things. I mean like why Amy and whathisname were in costume, and what exactly were they doing at that planet in the first place. I mean later on we find they were on a honeymoon or something, but they bring that in at what, at the end? I mean I spent the entire episode asking why on earth Amy was wearing the costume she wore when we first met her :/

I'm not even going to start on the massive paradoxes involved with him meeting himself, and hugging him. It also completely contradicts everything the Doctor has said in the past, in the Ecceleston series he stated to Rose when they had gone back in time to her father's death, that it was imperative that he didn't even see her. And now in this recent episode he sees it fit to bring the younger version of himself, to confront the older version, and allows them to hug? No. Also the Doctor said the tardis would be unable to pull the ship to safety, when urm, does anyone recall the episode where it successfully pulled a planet?

So yes lots of confusion, paradoxes and contradictions, but its a christmas special at the end of the day and its main focus is kids, which I was ranting about with my girlfriend and her dad really. How when Ecceleston left the show lost its gritty, dark edge and now, even after the overall poor Tennant era, its still being made as if its main target audience are children. I do like Matt Smith, but I don't think I will be fully happy unless we get another Ecceleston back, and the show starts giving out some darker episodes without having to tinge everything with some kind of comical feel, as much as I like Matt Smith... Also my girlfriend made a very good point, about why everyone feels the need to use the Christmas Carol to fuel the storyline, when they have the writers there to create something of their own, and be creative...

I mean the Tennant era has pretty much made a complete mockery of the Dalek's, when back in the 'first' series, the episode about the Doctor finding the first Dalek, Ecceleston acted the part so well, just how much fear he had for just this one dormant Dalek, and how he was adament he wanted it destroyed, I loved the line he made when he asked what the nearest town population was and replied with 'All dead if this Dalek escapes!'. Now because in practically EVERY finale they SOMEHOW escaped extinction, or being locked out of time altogether to terrorize again, everyone is sick of them, and they are meant to be the Doctor's arch nemesis for crying out loud, aside from the Master of course.

The new series looks okay, I'm glad there are no more Daleks, and I did really like the Cybermen, just the whole premise that it is a barely alive human being inside, and the episode where the Doctor comes across one that can remember who he/she was, always disturbed me. Its just a shame that everyone is bored with the Daleks now, they just overused them, and in completely stupid ways.

 

[Jerry_111]

was the blonde hot or WHAT?

series 6 trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnOeHDfN_V0

 

[Jerry_111]

I mean like why Amy and whathisname were in costume, and what exactly were they doing at that planet in the first place. I mean later on we find they were on a honeymoon or something, but they bring that in at what, at the end? I mean I spent the entire episode asking why on earth Amy was wearing the costume she wore when we first met her :/

Rory and Amy were on their honeymoon... in the honeymoon suite, when the ship first started tumbling about. They were having kinky sex.

 

[stemot]

Rory and Amy were on their honeymoon... in the honeymoon suite, when the ship first started tumbling about. They were having kinky sex.

I can't believe this wasn't completely obvious to anyone watching it. They even alluded to it quite heavily.

 

[ríomhaire]

I mean like why Amy and whathisname were in costume

Kinky Roman-on-policewoman sex you silly billy.

I'm not even going to start on the massive paradoxes involved with him meeting himself, and hugging him. It also completely contradicts everything the Doctor has said in the past, in the Ecceleston series he stated to Rose when they had gone back in time to her father's death, that it was imperative that he didn't even see her.

He's also stated that some parts of time are in flux and are allowed to be changed while others are fixed and he can tell which ones are which. I figure this is just a case of that. Rose's dad's death was a fixed point and paradoxes there caused time to break while in this episode it's in flux and things can just change and all of this is just an in-universe way of saying that Doctor Who is very soft sci-fi and time obeys whatever reason make for the best plot this week.

Also, Doctor Who is written by loads and loads of different writters. I think that contradictions between episodes aren't so bad (as long as they aren't incredibly stupid ones) as long as each story is self consistent.

Also the Doctor said the tardis would be unable to pull the ship to safety, when urm, does anyone recall the episode where it successfully pulled a planet?

I figured he couldn't pull the ship because that would involve pulling it through the clouds, which would destroy the ship anyway. After all, pulling you through a giant wall of fire won't make the fire not burn you.

 

[Remus]

Just finished watching it, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. As crazy and whimsical as ever.
I really liked the sets/CGI/art direction, they are probably pumping a lot of money into this series, and it shows.

However while watching this episode I had one question on my mind, who is that blond actress? Either way I approve. :naughty:

 

[stintage]

I'm not even going to start on the massive paradoxes involved with him meeting himself, and hugging him. It also completely contradicts everything the Doctor has said in the past

Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey

Yes, Amy and Rory were role playing, If you didn't catch onto that, god help you.

Also, Blonde= Katherine Jenkins, who sang the Silence Will Fall song, as I refer to it...If thats the Blond you were talking about.

 

[Shift]

Oh come on, it wasn't obvious to me or anyone I knew who watched it. And you don't have to be a wanker about it, whoever you are..

And roimhaire you kept saying 'assume', but that's the problem, we just have to assume every time rather than it just being explained, its really bad writing. For instance the tardis not being able to pull the ship, he simply said it wasn't strong enough, not that the ship would be destroyed either way..

 

[Slug Advisor]

we just have to assume every time rather than it just being explained, its really bad writing.

I'm pretty sure conventionally the writers who take a few minutes to explain the minute details they can imply aren't loved either.

 

[stemot]

Oh come on, it wasn't obvious to me or anyone I knew who watched it. And you don't have to be a wanker about it, whoever you are..

In what way was I being a wanker? I just thought that when they both came out and were dressed up in roleplay, which when asked why they were both coy and muttered about the honeymoon suite it was like smacking you in the face with it.

 

[Shift]

I was referring to stinage's comment.

 

[stintage]

I was referring to stinage's comment.

 

[Shift]

Wow aren't you clever! Just a word of advice, trolling on here is a waste of time