[Cyphon]

Haven't seen a Doctor who in a while, just saw the UK Easter special and I didn't enjoy it. Felt paper thin, chopping editing and very little character development...


Sad as I was fan of the Eccleston/Tennent/Smith era.

This post has been edited by Cyphon: 17 April 2022 - 08:33 PM

[QuickTidal]

Cyphon, on 17 April 2022 - 08:32 PM, said:

Haven't seen a Doctor who in a while, just saw the UK Easter special and I didn't enjoy it. Felt paper thin, chopping editing and very little character development...

I'll go you one better, it was pure trash. I can't even make heads or tails of how much of a hash Chris Chibnall has made of his run as Showrunner/head writer. It's been largely garbage. Makes me feel bad for Jodie as she's done the best with what she was given...but holy hell, it's been awful.

Like we could say that Moffat often went for style over substance, but Chibnall fails at BOTH and the show is miserable as a result.

And he's even trying to Nostalgia-peddle to get people to watch the final ep with Jodie by brining back Tegan (4th Doctor companion) and Ace (7th Doctor companion)...it won't work if Sea Devils was anything to work off of....

Cyphon, on 17 April 2022 - 08:32 PM, said:

Sad as I was fan of the Eccleston/Tennent/Smith era.

The good news is that the man who made that era what is was is coming back to show-run again after the next special (which is when Chibnall and Jodie both say goodbye to the show). Russell T. Davies takes the show over for the 2023 anniversary special and beyond. I literally cannot wait, because even the mediocre RTD-era episodes were charming and fun, if goofy...and when he was ON...he was REALLY on. Like MIDNIGHT and WATERS OF MARS are two of the best episodes since the show returned in 2005. I have and read his book more than once and the love he bears the show is immense.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 18 April 2022 - 12:35 PM

[Cyphon]

That is encouraging. It was sad to see it so run down. It was hard to say anything positive about that episode.

[polishgenius]

I like Chibnall's run a lot more than QT, even though with reservations, but I haven't even got round to watching this episode yet, it seems so half-hearted.

[Malankazooie]

They must have totally downplayed it because I was unaware of an Easter episode here in the States. Which isn't exactly a glowing endorsement for putting out something of quality.

[polishgenius]

https://twitter.com/...263950661775360


Meet the new Doctor.

[QuickTidal]

polishgenius, on 08 May 2022 - 12:22 PM, said:

https://twitter.com/...263950661775360


Meet the new Doctor.

FANTASTIC choice! He’s really really good in SEX EDUCATION. Can’t wait to see what he does with the role!

Super exciting, and glad they announced it so soon!

Bring on Fourteen!

[Tiste Simeon]

I really hope he calls a dalek a detty pig!

[QuickTidal]

News that David Tennant, Catherine Tate, AND Bernard Cribbins are all back for RTD's 60th Anniversary outing, with the Fourteenth Doctor as well I assume....and the set photos show Jodie's TARDIS, so she's probably in it as well (My kingdom for Jodie's Doctor written by someone competent like RTD!). Cribbins being back is such a blessing. He's bloody 93 year old!

Anyways, here's Tennant in his costume on set (new blue overcoat, but sand shoes and the brown suit are back, and spikey hair).

So confirmation of a multi-doctor 60th!

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[Malankazooie]

NPH will be on Doctor Who. How often does a non-British actor appear on Doctor Who? It's pretty rare isn't it? On the upside, I won't need to have the subtitles turned on to understand NPH (unless he goes full Brit accent... when in Rome, right?)

[QuickTidal]

HOLY FUCK

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

QuickTidal, on 24 October 2022 - 02:26 AM, said:

HOLY FUCK

What

[Tsundoku]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 24 October 2022 - 05:11 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 24 October 2022 - 02:26 AM, said:

HOLY FUCK

What

Yeah QT - a little more detail required please.

[Tiste Simeon]

Presumably it's the return of David Tennant for a limited run prior to the next full time Doctor?

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 24 October 2022 - 12:22 PM, said:

Presumably it's the return of David Tennant for a limited run prior to the next full time Doctor?

Tis.

I'll go into spoilers:

Spoiler

She regenerated into Ten's face for his three eps in 2023....I mean we all kind of expected this...but I don't know if I expected it yet? So Ten-Fourteen will Regen into Ncuti I guess? It was cool nonetheless.

I mean beyond that, the rest of the cameos were great, including Doctor's 1, 5, 6, 7, and (be still my heart) 8! And not to be outdone, Tegan, and Ace...and Graham!

It's interesting to note that RTD was listed as Showrunner for this episode, and Chibnall was only listed down as writer.

I have a feeling that the multi-docs at the end of the universe, and Ten-Fourteen are RTD's mandates for going forward into his new tenure (I could be wrong on that though)... as those bits felt out of sync with the rest of Chibnall's already messy script for this. Great to see the Master chew scenery again, but the whole "I'm using the Cybermen, AND the Daleks to my own whims and I'm going to force myself into the Doctor's body" felt over the top/over-egging the pudding...especially since they really didn't do anything with it. Like it would have been cool to see The Master in the Doctor's body and having to FIGHT against the Doctor's heroic nature....but nah, he was just The Master...

Dan felt completely superfluous in this. And Graham had more presence in his ten minutes than Dan exhibited in the first 20.

Glad Yaz was with her before her send-off, that felt right and I like Yaz a LOT as a companion.

And while the regeneration itself was good, the lead up was dumb...instead of getting stuck having to sacrifice herself to save the day, the Master gets defeated plans and is like "Nah, you can just get shot with a laser as you head back to your TARDIS"....which...weak. I mean it's fine....but contrast it with some other regenerations and their surrounding context and it comes off lacking.

That said, Jodie is and has always been a wonderful Doctor suffering under quite poor writing.

My wife pointed out that when she sees Tegan and Ace for the first time in god knows how many years...she just kind of stands there...Chibnall can't seem to bring himself to have them interact in a human way....if this was RTD's writing or even Moffat, she would have hugged them immediately. That whole scene skewed awkward because this didn't seem like the meeting of old friends and allies...but something else. Is Chibnall afraid of human interactions and feelings? So strange.

It was probably his best written episode since 13s first season, but that's not saying much. I'm not going to be sad to see the back of Chris Chibnall as show runner.

Oh and it bugs the hell out of me that Segun Akinola crafted a leitmotif "theme" for 13, only to only use it on her first episode and in her regeneration scene on this episode and that's it....like why make a leitmotif hero theme for her and almost never use it?! Ugh. I hope Murray Gold is back for the next season.

[Malankazooie]

The episode was a mediocre jumble were the Daleks and the Cybermen were background dressing (mostly) for The Master to go off. Also seemed to be some serious expedient plot decisions in the episode. What was the deal with the giant battery girl? I find myself with this run of Doctor Who coming away more confused than anything else. The Master going off was fun though. Also, where the hell was Ryan? They should have brought 13's full companion team back. The other fan pleasing stuff (like that Tegan and Ace deal and the Doctor cameos) doesn't really resonate with me, as I only begun watching with Capaldi, but I get it. But maybe tighten up the story first. Fan service stuff will land better.

[polishgenius]

Spoiler

To be fair I don't think it's projection by Chibnall that Whittaker's Doctor was afraid of letting anyone too close and reacting with warmth, just a writing choice of his, but I do get why it doesn't go down well with everyone. It's kinda made her seem like an arsehole throughout her run. But you know I think I prefer it to Moffatt having his Doctors getting obssessively attached to both Amy and Clara. That was a weird choice.

It seems like other commitments truncated John Bishop's involvement in this, though having a look at the filmind dates it can only have been his own stand-up show, which makes you wonder what the hell the organisation was like that they ended up running filming into something he will have been controlling.



Anyway. The episode was a mess if you analyse it like at all, but I did enjoy it. Sacha Dhawan is a delicious Master and I do find that Chibnall is better in 'throw everything at the screen' mode where he can stand on his ability to organise a good visual and some dramatic moments to cover up his lack of facility with dialogue and really great scenes. And really even there, the moment with Yaz and the Doctor on the Tardis was probably his best-written scene of his entire run.

The Daleks shouldn't have been there at all, though.

On Chibnall's run overall I do feel kind of bad for him coz I think he mostly had good ideas- setting aside the Timeless Child, which I didn't love, also didn't hate like many, but I do get why it was hated- but he just couldn't keep control or lean into the consequences of what he was doing. Like, Flux had some great concepts in but it didn't follow through on many and then it just left the universe destroyed and... hasn't mentioned it since. Or the first season's problem with repeatedly accidentally imparting dreadful moral lessons because he didn't think it through when he was tying plots up. Nor did he have the ability like I say to craft great scenes or build continuing hype to keep a wider fanbase interested. I mean, even I was dipping at points. I liked it overall a lot more than some did, but it didn't seem to have any cohesive drive behind it.

I did think his run was really cool visually, he managed to wrangle the budget really well there, but I'm really keen to see what RTD can do without those BBC restrictions.

[QuickTidal]

What makes me always laugh is that he was once on a panel (I think during Sly's run as 7) of younger people who were discussing what they felt was wrong with Doctor Who at that point, and he was ripping on the writing...so like fast forward 30 years and he's running it and the wiring is shit. LOL. Will never not make me laugh.

[QuickTidal]

RTD has confirmed that the Christmas Specials are coming back.

They never should have left, and Chibnall was main-charactering HARD when he shifted to New Years....

Oh, ad in case anyone missed it.

Millie Gibson was chosen to play Ncuti Gatwa's (Fiftheenth?) Doctor's companion Ruby Sunday (GREAT DW name!)....also the first companion I know from another show beforehand (Corrie!)

Here they are looking great. I can't wait to see Ncuti's Doctor in action, I think he was a great choice.

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This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 09 December 2022 - 12:53 PM

[QuickTidal]

I don't have anything new to add really, aside from the fact that RTD confirmed that Season 14, starring Ncuti Gatwa & Millie Gibson has wrapped shooting now.

But can I say how damned excited I am that we get three new Tennant/Donna eps for the 60th and a full new season under my fave DW show runner/writer? SO VERY EXCITED!