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[Savitar]

When it comes to the Doctor he tends to come and go based on an emergency event, he seldom sticks around to pick up the pieces, he leaves that to whoever is there to do it themselves more often than not trusting in those that remain being able to sort out everything once the day is usually saved. He really doesn’t care to deal with the “minor stuff” much.

And as for how time keeps changing, if you take into the old Who shows that had space stations and the like I believe it’s easy to say that history has been changed/altered several times over. Usually later seasons keep up with the years and what is going on but what has happened before and certain advances are forgotten about. If nothing else you can basically call these sort of paradoxes to be time itself correcting itself. Not sure if it was the last season or around the Pandroa episodes but the Doctor himself mentioned certain paradoxes resolve themselves. So with the giant Cyberman, the dinosaur, it’s just time basically going “Nope, that’s not right, strike that.” and it’s a case of what comes later never remembering or knowing it had occurred.

You can think of it as someone shuffling a deck of cards, nothings to say what happened before is exactly wiped out depending if they need to drop back to it but it gets put within the deck for safe keeping until then.

 

[Dalek]

 

[Maddocks]

lol I lost it at DONNA? So true, but seriously, shes the best.

 

[acheron_xl]

Torchwood will contain that dinosaur situation.

They're going to have to reference Torchwood again, you just know it. You can't put them into that universe, then let them go fallow forever.

 

[Philippo]

3. This is actually one of the questions I have about this episode. Where did the Doctor go then? I'm going to say there isn't enough information to justify this one (then again maybe all he did was redecorate ). But I think this also was to show Clara how it's still the Doctor and stuff.

Maybe he went to the DotD dealing Gallifrey moment.

 

[Htown]

Accurate as hell.

 

[Slowdive]

Haha, so true.

 

[Jest Chillin]

They're going to have to reference Torchwood again, you just know it. You can't put them into that universe, then let them go fallow forever.

Moffats been pretty hands off with Davies characters though. I wonder of Gatiss would be the same.

 

[acheron_xl]

Moffats been pretty hands off with Davies characters though. I wonder of Gatiss would be the same.

I had a hypothetical future writer reared on New Who and Torchwood in mind. Someone nostalgic for it. Bring them back for some adventure with the 15th Doctor or something.

 

[IdreamofHIME]

lol I lost it at DONNA? So true, but seriously, shes the best.

Problem with Donna was who they got to portray her. Why they went for such a high profile actor to be a companion, i will never understand.
When Catherine Tate got that role, she was probably more famous than Tennant. That's not right and it was really hard to separate Donna from a character on Tate's comedy show.

For me anyways.

 

[Fireblend]

Maybe he went to the DotD dealing Gallifrey moment.

Haha. That'd actually be hilarious. If the "third departure" isn't referenced in the rest of the season this is absolutely the theory I'm going with.

 

[DarkFlow]

A Dinosaur burning in London and no one even cares or remembers?

Why can't he just go work on Sherlock or something and just leave Who alone. Also Donna sucks.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Time for some more of my thoughts as I plow through!

Doctor Who: Season 5
Since I'd started watching Doctor Who, I dreamt for the day I'd finally get to Matt Smith. I mostly wanted to see what the show would be like with Moffat helming. I'm a huge fan of Moffats, and thought he would give the show the shine it deserved. Good lord, was I wrong. Season 5 is easily my least favorite season, and it is because it is just so damn forgettable. At least the seasons I disliked prior invoked some sort of emotion from me. But season 5....I just sort of glided through. When it was over, I was stunned. That was it? One season down the hatch?

The Doctor. Do I not like Matt Smith as the Doctor? Or do I simply not like how Moffat writes the Doctor, and I would've hated the portrayal even with Tennant? I think the latter. The Doctor does not seem like himself this season. I know each regeneration is a different personality, but he has lost his wise edge. His smarts. His common sense, even! The episode "The Lodger" especially took the cake . . . I like the "idea" of the episode, but it simply does not fit for the character of the Doctor. I just....I don't know. He feels like a goofy cartoon character.

Amy Pond. Least favorite companion so far. If you asked me to describe Rose, Martha, or Donna, I could do so. If you asked me to describe Amy, I'd have no clue what to say. She is pretty? Wears lots of clothes to show off her nice legs? I never thought I'd say this, but my God, I want Donna back! At least she had some personality to her. I don't think there is anything I hate about Amy. It is simply that there is nothing I love about her.

Their Relationship . Maybe this is what let me down the most. I absolutely loved the idea they established with episode 1 that Amy sees the Doctor as her imaginary friend. The raggedy Doctor. But I never got that "imaginary friend" vibe. I never really got any vibe between them. It doesn't help that their relationship got off to a rough start when episode 2 he was already yelling at her, and was ready to bring her back to Earth after she kept him in the dark about the message she received about the floating city with the whale. It really rubbed me wrong when in the finale they referenced this imaginary friend angle again. I wanted to scream at my TV "No, no, no! You don't just get to do a callback to that dynamic that you've never built on!" It doesn't work like that!

The Finale. It was better than Season 3's finale. I did not see it coming that the Doctor was going to be put into the Pandorica---I predicted he was already inside. Not sure if that counts? Anywho, the idea of the Pandorica was pretty awful. I like they didn't even bother explaining why these races felt it was best to trap him inside instead of simply killing him. And I can't buy that they thought they couldn't kill him. It seemed like the writers came up with the finale in reverse, and by the time they worked the way down to the pandorica (which feels it was first thought up as the thing to fix the universe) they went "And where did this thing come from and why?" Because they put the doctor in there for a whole 2 minutes. However, in the end, the finale was the best of the season.

Mystery. I'm going to start punching myself in the face every time I have to listen to River say "Spoilers!" In general, one of the worst elements of this show is how it handles mystery. In that it handles it terribly. I like mystery where you don't have to point a flashlight at it and remind us all the time. I feel like the show is constantly slapping us in the face with things like River and say "remember? Remember we haven't revealed who she really is yet? Are you curious? You better be!" My favorite part of the finale was when the Doctor was sitting inside the pandorica, before he shot himself into the TARDIS explosion, and he told Amy why she was a mystery to him....and it is revealed she had parents that the rift ate. And I was like "Damn! That seems so obvious now, but I didn't think of that at all". For me, it worked so well because the show gave you enough here and there to remind you that there is something mysterious about Amy.....without them flashing a huge light on it all the time. A huge light would've been "Why did you live in that big house all by yourself?" over and over throughout the season. I dunno...I really loved that reveal.

Season 5 left such a bad taste in my mouth that I immediately jumped into season 6. I was afraid if I didn't, I'd never pick the show up again. And I must say....it is already much better. I'll write up my thoughts once I'm farther in.

 

[A-V-B]

Wow, you hated Series 5? You totally just blanked out during Vincent and the Doctor and The Lodger? Are you some kind of... alien? Can I get you checked out by a Sontaran?

 

[Symphonic]

Blue shirt guy is literally me. Vastra/Jenny/Strax are getting annoying and Donna was a piece of shit.

 

[Dalek]

If you didn't like Season 5-just stop watching now. The show is not for you.

 

[APZonerunner]

The funny thing about what you say about The Lodger is that it was originally a 10th Doctor story - it was a comic! It seemed to fit everything Matt's Doctor was becoming early on, including the fact that Matt was almost a professional footballer but had that dream killed by a teenage injury - that football skills scene was in the comic too - they adapted it for the show. That said, I don't particularly like The Lodger because I find James Corden utterly insufferable.

If you didn't like Season 5-just stop watching now. The show is not for you.

I love 5 and hate 6, but this isn't fair, IMO. If that poster went through the 4 RTD years and enjoyed them, then, yes, Doctor Who is for him.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

I'm afraid now....because season 6 is off to a great start for me so far. I must have whacky tastes compared to everyone else. Only 2 episodes in though. Am I the only one who was let down by Amy Pond season 5, and her relationship with the Doctor? Don't get me wrong....there were good moments. But overall, it was the biggest letdown of the season.

Wow, you hated Series 5? You totally just blanked out during Vincent and the Doctor and The Lodger? Are you some kind of... alien? Can I get you checked out by a Sontaran?

Vincent and the Doctor was actually my second favorite episode. It wasn't overly great, but had a strong ending. Plus it has Bill Nighy, which is an automatic +10 points.

 

[SigmasonicX]

I'm afraid now....because season 6 is off to a great start for me so far. I must have whacky tastes compared to everyone else. Only 2 episodes in though. Am I the only one who was let down by Amy Pond season 5, and her relationship with the Doctor? Don't get me wrong....there were good moments. But overall, it was the biggest letdown of the season.

People generally had high hopes for season 6 after the first two episodes. I'll tell you straight up: if you didn't like how season 5 handled its mysteries, you'll really hate how season 6 does it.

 

[A-V-B]

People generally had high hopes for season 6 after the first two episodes. I'll tell you straight up: if you didn't like how season 5 handled its mysteries, you'll really hate how season 6 does it.

After the first two eps, The Doctor's Wife is really good.

And then... you get the rest of Series 6.

 

[Maddocks]

Season 6 had some good episodes for me.

Impossible astronaut
Day of the moon
the doctors wife
a good man goes to war
the girl who waited
the wedding of river song

Those are the episodes that stand out to me on season 6.

 

[A-V-B]

Season 6 had some good episodes for me.

Impossible astronaut
Day of the moon
the doctors wife
a good man goes to war
the girl who waited
the wedding of river song

Those are the episodes that stand out to me on season 6.

Oh, yeah, Girl Who Waited was pretty decent.

 

[Ape Gone Insane]

Why can't he just go work on Sherlock or something and just leave Who alone. Also Donna sucks.

He's already beginning to destroy Sherlock if the last series is anything to go by, which is strange given he's what made it so good in the first place. But I suppose that's a trend with Moffat even in Doctor Who (if you compare his episodes in the RTD era and his own era).

 

[Hot Coldman]

God Complex is the best S6 episode

when's Whithouse

 

[RadioHeadAche]

lol I lost it at DONNA? So true, but seriously, shes the best.

Yep

 

[Exterminieren]

Why can't he just go work on Sherlock or something and just leave Who alone.

Christ almighty.

Who replaces him in this plan of yours?

 

[acheron_xl]

Christ almighty.

Who replaces him in this plan of yours?

Just give it to Capaldi.

 

[StealthGoblin]

I vastly preferred Season 5 to Season 6 or 7.

It felt fresh. It was more dynamic. There were some amazingly high points in that series (even just moments in certain episodes). Vincent and the Doctor is by far one of my favourite episodes. It's among one of the best things I have ever invested time into in any medium. Very well done.

Eleventh Hour was really good. (Had the benefit of having no baggage from the prior series)
Victory of the Daleks had some good moments. I still laugh at the Jammy Dodger.
I liked the finale two-parter on the whole.

I also liked the dynamic between the trio that built up. Everyone had a role.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Haahahahaha, that is totally this forum, and some aspects are of what people in the group I went to the theater thought about the series as a whole (the all loved the episode, although some of the girls hate Clara with a passion).

Im the guy in the middle of both of them even if he is not in the strip. I like things the blue like and like things the glasses guy like. I know the series has a lot of faults, but I dont hate anything if it's not utterly boring.

 

[berzeli]

So um, I watched the première at a local cinema (had a blast if you disregard the ill-fitting fedoras, Swedes speaking English with thick accents for no reason what so ever, and the intro by some cinema dude speaking way too long) and I couldn't help but noticing how it was shown in 2.35:1 in the cinema. Was it also shown in that ratio on the telly with black bars?


Vulture seems to confirm that I'm not imagining things at least:

...this episode was explicitly crafted to be cinematic, as it’s also showing in cinemas, and the screener made available to critics was presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

There was also a picture I saw in a thread here on gaf with the new intro sequence that clearly showed the aspect ratio. Can't find it for my life now though.


Did they shoot each scene twice in differing aspect ratios or did they matte off for cinemas? If they did the latter than the TV-version would be far inferior since what I saw was clearly composed for the wider ratio.

 

[Team Filler]

Seems like I'm in the minority of loving the Craig character and his episodes (even if it is absolute shit that he defeats cybermen with the power of love).

 

[Discotheque]

i liked the first craig episode. but i can't fuck with that character, the actor just gets on my nerves for some reason. it's a shame they chose him to follow up a talent like craig ferguson later this year.

best series overall: 5
best companion: amy (with rory)
best doctor: eccleston (soon to be capaldi tho i imagine)

 

[APZonerunner]

Also, RE "nobody remembers the dinosaur", let us not forget that in RTD's Who for a good while things stacked up. When the hospital is sucked up to the moon in Series 3, Martha says "it's aliens" straight away and cites the spaceship hitting Big Ben and the Sycorax spaceship - and Donna's mum and Wilf are well aware of past events, even if Donna herself is often enough oblivious.

RE the above, for me it is:
Series Ranking: 5 > 4 > 2 > 1 > 7 > 6=3
Companion Ranking: Donna > Wilf (if he counts) > S1/2 Rose > Rory = Jack > Amy > Mickey > Martha > Clara > S4 Rose
Doctor Ranking: Tennant > Smith=Eccleston (for now!)

 

[paradox121]

Also, RE "nobody remembers the dinosaur", let us not forget that in RTD's Who for a good while things stacked up. When the hospital is sucked up to the moon in Series 3, Martha says "it's aliens" straight away and cites the spaceship hitting Big Ben and the Sycorax spaceship - and Donna's mum and Wilf are well aware of past events, even if Donna herself is often enough oblivious.

Which is a dangerous approach to take because at some point you just end up with people who are ambivalent, or at the very least don't react in the way normal humans react. If you're gonna set an alien invasion story on Earth then make everyone react the way everyday people react otherwise you lose that emotional connection.

By all rights no one should've batted an eyelid by the time the Daleks turned up in S4 since they're already been invaded by a giant spider, had 10 Downing Street blow up, Cybermen and Daleks traipsing round, and a hospital relocated to the Moon.

 

[APZonerunner]

Which is a dangerous approach to take because at some point you just end up with people who are ambivalent, or at the very least don't react in the way normal humans react. If you're gonna set an alien invasion story on Earth then make everyone react the way everyday people react otherwise you lose that emotional connection.

By all rights no one should've batted an eyelid by the time the Daleks turned up in S4 since they're already been invaded by a giant spider, had 10 Downing Street blow up, Cybermen and Daleks traipsing round, and a hospital relocated to the Moon.

I think the smart way to do it is to let it build up over time and then find ways to have knowledge of things fall into a wormhole as Series 5 did.

 

[Metalmarc]

I said it before in this thread. But i like to think the Dinosaur is a nod to Colin bakers Rani Episode mark of the Rani, and the lady at the end is the Rani.

Wiki From mark of the Rani

The Master and the Rani are "stuck" against one of the walls of the Rani's TARDIS, due to the speed at which they are travelling; and are helplessly at the mercy of the rapidly aging immature Tyrannosaurus

 

[Blader]

Series 5 is so far and away Who's best year that may it as well be a completely different show.

 

[acheron_xl]

Series 5 is really overrated. It's at the very least greater than the sum of it's parts.

Eleventh Hour is obviously excellent, and the best Doctor intro ever.
The Beast Below I think has a bad rap, but it's not terrible.
Victory of the Daleks is a bit crap.
Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone is very highly overrated. Tried it's best to ruin the Angels. The shit with the jacket was inspired though.
Vampires of Venice is filler
Amy's Choice is rather good. Toby Jones is great.
Hungry Earth/Cold Blood is maybe the most boring 2 parter in new Who.
Vincent is mostly great.
The Lodger is high quality filler
Pandorica/Big Bang is an OK finale. I much prefer Big Bang of the two. Pandorica drags a bit and I don't really like his big speech.

I'll admit it - I actually like series 6 more.

 

[twobear]

Season 6 had some good episodes for me.

Impossible astronaut
Day of the moon
the doctors wife
a good man goes to war
the girl who waited
the wedding of river song

Those are the episodes that stand out to me on season 6.

a good man goes to war? the wedding of river song? those are not what i would class as good episodes.

the god complex and closing time, on the other hand...

 

[ClivePwned]

i disagree with some of the opinions expressed in the previous few posts,

Spoiler

you monsters

, but I love the divergence of opinion,

Spoiler

you monsters

and the passion of the fans,

Spoiler

even the monsters

.

 

[Blader]

The Eleventh Hour, Angels two-parter, Amy's Choice, Vincent and the Doctor, and Pandorica two-parter are all great to amazing episodes. Vampires of Venice and The Lodger are good fun, and even The Beast Below is kind of okay if not forgettable. Victory of the Daleks and the Silurian two-parter are the only stinkers in the bunch, but that's still a much better batting average than any other series in the last nine years.

I didn't even know so many people hated the Angels two-parter. I think it's sensational, both then and on rewatch, and does a great job of making the Angels even scarier with an actually solid supporting cast to fill out the requisite bodycount. It's also one of River's best appearances and the Doctor/Amy dynamic really starts coming into its own here. Somebody somewhere once compared it as the Aliens to Blink's Alien, and I think that's dead on.

 

[acheron_xl]

a good man goes to war? the wedding of river song? those are not what i would class as good episodes.

the god complex and closing time, on the other hand...

See, I really like AGMGTW, and don't really care for Closing Time at all. That comic was really true.

 

[JimtotheHum]

Blue shirt guy is literally me. Vastra/Jenny/Strax are getting annoying and Donna was a piece of shit.

And I am straight up green shirt. Donna is my favorite companion and I love Vastra/Jenny/Strax.

I want a spin-off show!!

 

[APZonerunner]

I think Series 4 and 5 are pretty close, actually, and they represent the difference between RTD and Moffat pretty well in that Series 5 has higher highs and lower lows and Series 4 never quite reaches those highs but is more consistently 'good'.

Apart from the incredibly self-indulgent finale (which, mind you, is still good, if not a bit wanky), I think Series 4 has a more consistent level of quality across the board. I can't think of anything 'offensive' there. The Doctor's Daughter and the Sontaran two parter are the weaker episodes (I'd put them in the same ballpark as Vampires of Venice, for instance - solid but unremarkable), but they're both still solid 7/10 or so episodes and the former in particular has some wonderful character moments for the Doctor. But, yeah. I'll take Planet of the Ood over Victory of the Daleks, or The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky over The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood any day, for instance. A lot of people hated those Sontaran episodes because they were using subterfuge rather than a straight-out invasion, which some classic series fans claimed ruined them and went against their basic character, but seeing as Moffat has made the race practically untenable as villains via Strax that hardly matters any more. I personally really like those episodes as with it being Earthbound, and UNIT, and soldiers, it feels like something straight out of the 70s in a good, one-off flashbacky sort of way. It's really the only proper UNIT story new Who has.

What Series 5 definitely has however is more money and better production, and that's what pushes it to be the #1 for me.

 

[Mudcrab]

Series 5 is really overrated. It's at the very least greater than the sum of it's parts.

Eleventh Hour is obviously excellent, and the best Doctor intro ever.
The Beast Below I think has a bad rap, but it's not terrible.
Victory of the Daleks is a bit crap.
Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone is very highly overrated. Tried it's best to ruin the Angels. The shit with the jacket was inspired though.
Vampires of Venice is filler
Amy's Choice is rather good. Toby Jones is great.
Hungry Earth/Cold Blood is maybe the most boring 2 parter in new Who.
Vincent is mostly great.
The Lodger is high quality filler
Pandorica/Big Bang is an OK finale. I much prefer Big Bang of the two. Pandorica drags a bit and I don't really like his big speech.

I'll admit it - I actually like series 6 more.

This is pretty much how feel about S5, though I tend to think S5-7 suffer from the same kind of general mediocrity with each having its bright spots.

I think Series 4 and 5 are pretty close, actually, and they represent the difference between RTD and Moffat pretty well in that Series 5 has higher highs and lower lows and Series 4 never quite reaches those highs but is more consistently 'good'.

Apart from the incredibly self-indulgent finale (which, mind you, is still good, if not a bit wanky), I think Series 4 has a more consistent level of quality across the board. I can't think of anything 'offensive' there. The Doctor's Daughter and the Sontaran two parter are the weaker episodes (I'd put them in the same ballpark as Vampires of Venice, for instance - solid but unremarkable), but they're both still solid 7/10 or so episodes and the former in particular has some wonderful character moments for the Doctor. But, yeah. I'll take Planet of the Ood over Victory of the Daleks, or The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky over The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood any day, for instance. A lot of people hated those Sontaran episodes because they were using subterfuge rather than a straight-out invasion, which some classic series fans claimed ruined them and went against their basic character, but seeing as Moffat has made the race practically untenable as villains via Strax that hardly matters any more.

What Series 5 definitely has however is more money and better production, and that's what pushes it to be the #1 for me.

I agree with this as well with the exception that I'd still take S4 over S5 in the end.

 

[Blader]

A lot of people hated those Sontaran episodes because they were using subterfuge rather than a straight-out invasion, which some classic series fans claimed ruined them and went against their basic character, but seeing as Moffat has made the race practically untenable as villains via Strax that hardly matters any more.

I thought people hated those episodes because of that shitty kid who plays front and center in the story...that's why I did at least.

 

[acheron_xl]

I agree with this as well with the exception that I'd still take S4 over S5 in the end.

Cosigned. It doesn't get better than series 4. Starting in mid series 3, they just went on a remarkable run. The Sontaran 2 parter and the finales/Xmas episodes were the weak links, but every other episode was solid gold, or at the very least, 14k gold.

 

[mclem]

Torchwood will contain that dinosaur situation.

Given the timing, I don't think Torchwood is quite in action yet. Didn't Victoria create it towards the end of her life?

Edit: 1879. So... maybe.

 

[APZonerunner]

Doctor Who is coming to Minecraft on 360. The 12th Doctor leads, plus 5 other Doctors, each with one of their most recognizable companions, plus some enemies - Daleks, Ice Warriors, Zygons. This is the first of two packs and the second pack will bring the remaining six Doctors. $3/£2 per pack. 360 exclusive at least for now. http://www.doctorwho.tv/whats-new/article/doctor-who-comes-to-minecraft-on-xbox

This probably has something to do with how Moffat's son is one of those Minecraft heads with a YouTube channel full of builds and stuff.

I thought people hated those episodes because of that shitty kid who plays front and center in the story...that's why I did at least.

He's the dark spot in an otherwise fun episode, though.

 

[Dalek]

Season 6 had some good episodes for me.

Impossible astronaut
Day of the moon
the doctors wife
a good man goes to war
the girl who waited
the wedding of river song

Those are the episodes that stand out to me on season 6.

I feel the same. The only episode I didn't like was Curse of the Black Spot. I liked all the rest.