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Doctor Who
- Thread starter bionicbob
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Wild Blue Yonder
Pretty good two-hander, an expensive bottle episode with thought-provoking ideas, these sorts of things are the Bed and Breakfast for the best science-fiction.
Atmospheric, tense etc, the only points I'll deduct is Doctor and Donna stayed fairly nice to each other despite all the trust issues with the doubles...if I were Donna I'd have been furious with Tennant for choosing the wrong one towards the end, there was a brief argument they had at the start that I thought would escalate over the course of the special with the doubles adding to the problem, but that's Midnight fandom for you.
Effects on the doubles were too naff to convey proper menace, but Tennant and Tate's performances gave them the edge they needed.
Resolution was pretty clever. I presume the captain was a Garn from Terminus, hard to make out since it was a skeleton.
"You can't rewrite history...not one line" aged well didn't it Bill? "Mavity". Proper Red Dwarf moment that.
Atmospheric, tense etc, the only points I'll deduct is Doctor and Donna stayed fairly nice to each other despite all the trust issues with the doubles...if I were Donna I'd have been furious with Tennant for choosing the wrong one towards the end, there was a brief argument they had at the start that I thought would escalate over the course of the special with the doubles adding to the problem, but that's Midnight fandom for you.
Effects on the doubles were too naff to convey proper menace, but Tennant and Tate's performances gave them the edge they needed.
Resolution was pretty clever. I presume the captain was a Garn from Terminus, hard to make out since it was a skeleton.
"You can't rewrite history...not one line" aged well didn't it Bill? "Mavity". Proper Red Dwarf moment that.
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STARBEAST -- an entertaining return with some nice emotional beats though much of the agenda stuff felt very forced and obvious to me. But then I have to remind myself this is an All Ages Family Show, so this may some young viewers first exposure to the subject matter and could lead to some good conversation.
WILD BLUE YONDER -- enjoyed this one more than the first special. Some really great atmosphere and mystery problem solving. But the Isaac Newton opening was a complete fail for me.
Very curious how RTD will wrap up his Tennant Trilogy with the return of the Celestial Toymaker.
WILD BLUE YONDER -- enjoyed this one more than the first special. Some really great atmosphere and mystery problem solving. But the Isaac Newton opening was a complete fail for me.
Very curious how RTD will wrap up his Tennant Trilogy with the return of the Celestial Toymaker.
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It's an interesting thought, but I think they are quite different. The toclafane became the way they are through desperate survival efforts. Cybermen were more about upgrading to 'improve' humanity, right? It seems they have very different motivations.
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True I wouldn't call them entirely the same. But remember the time the Toclafane originate, end of the universe, there's a lot of time between then and the latest date the Cybermen have appeared. And it seems like everything would be desperate to survive that far in the future. It's possible that some of the conversion tech was borrowed from or at least based on Cyber conversion tech, with Professor Yana perhaps partially remembering Cybermen when helping construct Utopia, or perhaps The Master created it before becoming Yana, or perhaps Utopia is a leftover Mondasian ship. At the very least, a connection is reasonably possible IMO.
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What were they thinking?
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Watched.
Of the three, this third one was easily my favourite. But that is simply because I always seem to gravitate towards Earth Bound UNIT stories.
Based on this special, I would LOVE a UNIT spin-off! I really wished they had brought Osgood back.
As for the big twist ending? Safe. Very safe. Maybe too safe. And essentially a recycle of the Meta-Crisis Doctor and Rose.
Of the three, this third one was easily my favourite. But that is simply because I always seem to gravitate towards Earth Bound UNIT stories.
Based on this special, I would LOVE a UNIT spin-off! I really wished they had brought Osgood back.
As for the big twist ending? Safe. Very safe. Maybe too safe. And essentially a recycle of the Meta-Crisis Doctor and Rose.
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It's weird, I sort of had a feeling something like that was going to happen, but not sure why. I wonder if there was some form of really subtle foreshadowing?
I just had this weird idea that David Tennant's doctor would continue to live on somehow after Ncuti arrived.
I absolutely love Ncuti though, he has great charisma and energy and is also really warm and fuzzy. Funny as hell too!
I just had this weird idea that David Tennant's doctor would continue to live on somehow after Ncuti arrived.
I absolutely love Ncuti though, he has great charisma and energy and is also really warm and fuzzy. Funny as hell too!
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All in all, this was a fun... mini-season? Inter-season? Whatever these years are called. Some good stuff, some clunky stuff. Some nice nostalgia, some new ideas. Love the production value all around, that Disney money is being spent well. I won't spoil, but the resolution of this iteration of the Doctor was emotionally satisfying in a way I wasn't expecting, and I respect that.
Ultimately, I feel these episodes were a good enough celebration of 15 years of Series 4, but not much of a 60th anniversary. It was a love letter to the best of David Tennet's run, with a "P.S., there was some stuff before and after we want to briefly acknowledge." All things being equal, Jodi's last episode functioned much better in that capacity, it just came out in the wrong year.
Still, these three specials were more enjoyable to me than the entirety of the show's run from 2018 - 2020, so far be it from me to complain. RTD's second reign is off to a solid if imperfect start. Let's keep it going.
Ultimately, I feel these episodes were a good enough celebration of 15 years of Series 4, but not much of a 60th anniversary. It was a love letter to the best of David Tennet's run, with a "P.S., there was some stuff before and after we want to briefly acknowledge." All things being equal, Jodi's last episode functioned much better in that capacity, it just came out in the wrong year.
Still, these three specials were more enjoyable to me than the entirety of the show's run from 2018 - 2020, so far be it from me to complain. RTD's second reign is off to a solid if imperfect start. Let's keep it going.
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So... next season is called "Season 1". That isn't confusing at all! We're bordering on Halloween levels of disambiguation pages being needed!
Anyway, the Christmas episode was mixed. Lots of mood/tonal whiplash. Rolling my eyes at the new companion's motivation - but at least they're going for a good (if obvious) moral with what it means. There was a Whittaker episode that was inexplicably
The tease at the very end is most intriguing, I'm more invested in that than whatever Ruby's arc may turn out to be.
If noting else - Ncuti hit the ground running. Capaldi needed the better part of a season to warm up. Whittaker took about three years. The writing and acting are in alignment, we have our Doctor right out of the gate.
What's up with the new sonic? David's new one was really cool, I'm surprised they abandoned the design immediately. Gotta push that merch, I gues? I know its days of being an actual screwdriver ended in the 1970s, but I'd at least like some sort of handle form-factor. It's more of a smart phone or old TV remote maybe.
Not the best start to a new Doctor - The Eleventh Hour was really something special. But far from the worst. Let's see where this goes.
Anyway, the Christmas episode was mixed. Lots of mood/tonal whiplash. Rolling my eyes at the new companion's motivation - but at least they're going for a good (if obvious) moral with what it means. There was a Whittaker episode that was inexplicably
anti-adoption. I'll take a tried and true "the woman who loved and raised you is your real mom" resolution if it comes down to it.
The tease at the very end is most intriguing, I'm more invested in that than whatever Ruby's arc may turn out to be.
If noting else - Ncuti hit the ground running. Capaldi needed the better part of a season to warm up. Whittaker took about three years. The writing and acting are in alignment, we have our Doctor right out of the gate.
What's up with the new sonic? David's new one was really cool, I'm surprised they abandoned the design immediately. Gotta push that merch, I gues? I know its days of being an actual screwdriver ended in the 1970s, but I'd at least like some sort of handle form-factor. It's more of a smart phone or old TV remote maybe.
Not the best start to a new Doctor - The Eleventh Hour was really something special. But far from the worst. Let's see where this goes.
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They're calling this a fresh start. The whole thing about it being back on a Saturday and on 25th Dec, it's a soft reboot of sorts.
Yeah it was quite good. I personally felt it was a bit too much with the fantasy and not enough with the science. I'll take it though, it's bound to be entertaining no matter what.
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I imagine Disney just didn't want to scare away new potential viewers with a double-digit season number - especially since they won't get the rights to older episodes for a few more years.
Also, calling it in advance - the new gloves can protect against radioactive hazards. Why? All the way back in the original The Daleks, Hartnell misspoke "Anti-Radition Drugs" as "Anti-Radiation Gloves."
Also, calling it in advance - the new gloves can protect against radioactive hazards. Why? All the way back in the original The Daleks, Hartnell misspoke "Anti-Radition Drugs" as "Anti-Radiation Gloves."
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I loved it. It was a bit different and more relaxed than previous RTD-penned Christmas specials, and Ncuti has a bold command of the role, he is suave and bold and in your face, everything about him is a good time, and I appreciate that Russel is integrating more of the development from Jodie's era into the events of an episode, driving the stakes forward and increasing the urgency. I like Gibson's Ruby as well, very hands on when it comes to protecting others and adapting quickly to situations.
One thing I didn't like was how out of focus the Goblins got, partially that's due to budget I believe, another thing was not much was known about their motivations, you just have to be accepting of it. Fair dues, creatures of chaotic habit don't really need explanation....and this show rarely explains anything.
There is a feel of lots of Disney mandated whimsey...in fact I just found out one scene early on was commisioned specifically by the company to give Ncuti more screentime.
The trailer wasn't bad, but lacked many monsters and focused too much on reaction shots from Ncuti and Millie. Hard to gauge any sort of impression from it.
One thing I didn't like was how out of focus the Goblins got, partially that's due to budget I believe, another thing was not much was known about their motivations, you just have to be accepting of it. Fair dues, creatures of chaotic habit don't really need explanation....and this show rarely explains anything.
There is a feel of lots of Disney mandated whimsey...in fact I just found out one scene early on was commisioned specifically by the company to give Ncuti more screentime.
The trailer wasn't bad, but lacked many monsters and focused too much on reaction shots from Ncuti and Millie. Hard to gauge any sort of impression from it.
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I thought the new special was alright. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. It was my least favorite of the four specials, just a bit too silly for my tastes (and obviously I do like the silly if I've watched 800+ episodes!), especially the song and dance number in the middle. Hopefully that gets toned down a bit in the upcoming series.
Doctor Alex
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A very good starting selection, particularly The Key to Time and The Three Doctors! And I wouldn't bother past the end of Capaldi's run (at least not with anything the BBC produced subsequently 
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I enjoyed the new special well enough, was worried when they had a more supernatural spin on things but given recent events in the show, it made enough sense and you just kind of roll with it. Maybe it was the salt, maybe it was the Toymaker. My kid though, got really invested, that was really cool to see. Stuck it out til the end.
The surprisingly gory for Christmas on Disney Plus end.
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I've always wanted to do a live-action remake of that one, blending seamlessly with the original footage, but everything's in color in the Toymaker's realm, Wizard of Oz style. It's a story that would really benefit from a full budget for VFX, and this recon seems to be at least trying to go for the dreamy visuals I'd hope for, though it definitely does not have that full budget, and understandably so.