Yeah, he's good! I was convinced I'd hate Nardole (like a lot of people here) but he's been used pretty darn effectively in this series.
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Doctor Who Series 10 |OT| He's Back, and It's About Time
- Thread starter tomtom94
- Start date
Yeah, he's good! I was convinced I'd hate Nardole (like a lot of people here) but he's been used pretty darn effectively in this series.
Doctor_Thomas
Member
I usually can't stand Matt Lucas and when I saw him in the first episode of this series, I'll be honest, it made me roll my eyes, but I think he's been great and that moment of badassery in the episode last night was top notch.
I must've missed that.
I don't think you need to spoiler it after the episode has aired, but yeah, that was him.
We also watched the Lego Batman movie before last nights Who btw. Good fun, best Batman movie so far (I don't really like Batman movies though). I mention it here because there are a couple of fun little Doctor Who easter eggs in there. Nothing big but fun to see.
It played during the Missy stuff as you'd expect, bit of a slower paced version. Sounds good.
plagiarize
Banned
This season has been amazing so far. For me it's been the best first half of any Moffat season. Why did he just figure this shit out when he's about to leave?
Hopefully he won't fuck it all up in the next six episodes.
Hopefully he won't fuck it all up in the next six episodes.
It's the Tate factor - they get underrated because they came from a sketch bsckground. And sometimes we undersell the work it takes to play so many different characters. Then they show up in Who as a singular character and get to show long form range.
His comedic sketch show background is probably my least favourite of his body of work, guys had major chops in the West End productions
I still admit I felt the same as you as wasn't sure what route they'd take with him
plagiarize
Banned
Lucas did nothing for me in the first Christmas special, but I thought he was great in Doctor Mysterio. Tate I was on board with from the The Impossible Bride, but I was seriously stressed out by her appearance in Doomsday.
I think it's when I gave up doubting the casting department for this show (I'd questioned the girl who sang 'Because We Want To' and the guy who was in Shark Attack 3: Megalodon).
The only misstep I think they've had was Maisie. Their casting is usually completely on point.
WadiumArcadium
Member
Yeah, I thought it sounded like him at first.
Hot Coldman
Banned
It made me sigh a bit too but the Mario analogy was hilariously dark.
Also agree, to the point I'm not sure it's a coincidence.
Maybe they mixed a little of his delivery in or Lucas was deliberately told to channel him
Yeah, atlhough i've seen so much youtube parodies and online comics of "What if Mario knew he was in a video game" that the analogy kinda fell flat to me
Oh it's absolutely deliberate.
Absolutely fantastic episode. Dark, fun, exciting, weird and intriguing.
Laughed out loud @ the Pope coming during Bill's date instead of the Doctor, what a cracking scene. And as usual for this season there were a lot of good dialogue bits and one-liners. Great escalation in regards to plot too.
Also enjoyed the continuity with the Doctor's handicap not being shrugged off so easily and Bill continuing to have an actual life (Penny mentioning she had moved from the apartment, Bill saying that didn't work out, the fact her foster mother doesn't know she's a lesbian giving it another layer to why she'd want to move out, etc. The kind of stuff that was sorely missed with Clara).
Laughed out loud @ the Pope coming during Bill's date instead of the Doctor, what a cracking scene. And as usual for this season there were a lot of good dialogue bits and one-liners. Great escalation in regards to plot too.
Also enjoyed the continuity with the Doctor's handicap not being shrugged off so easily and Bill continuing to have an actual life (Penny mentioning she had moved from the apartment, Bill saying that didn't work out, the fact her foster mother doesn't know she's a lesbian giving it another layer to why she'd want to move out, etc. The kind of stuff that was sorely missed with Clara).
SlipperyFishes
Banned
It was an apt-analogy.
The simulation was akin to a video game for the villains - it was ran over and over and the doctor lost each time. Except this time they realized it was not real, overcoming their programming.
We would never know it, but what if a game character did the same
hi Milo
Well, normally it's pretty much like this:
GAF reaction: This episode was great, awesome, best of the series, etc.
Meaning: weak or average episode
GAF reaction: This episode sucked, was boring, ugh that companion
Meaning: Good to great episode
I think this episode was alright, not too much excitement or stuff going on. The parts with Missy were rather boring. Knock Knock still remains the high point of this season.
BossDarkseid
Member
Did anyone find the editing a bit weird? Sometimes the transitions between scenes felt so quick I was a little "Ok, let me catch up for a sec" and then there was one bit where the Doctor mumbled something to Missy and there was a fade to black which felt out of an american commercial break. Felt a tad weird
I don't know if we're thinking of the same moment, but that was deliberate. Wasn't that the part where the Doctor was regaining/losing his sight, with the fade to black being used to illustrate the entire 'memories are always worse in the dark' thing?
Lets get back to this question after some 50-100 years (being highly conservative), and this might be a possibility.
As it is now, AI is too dumb. You may as well wonder if sock puppets have awareness and are tired of people sticking hands in their holes.
BossDarkseid
Member
Hmm, I might need to rewatch it to see that.
-Very few know this place exists. The library of blasphemy, the Haereticum.
-Harry Potter!
-Language.
-The very centre of the Haereticum. Home of the Veritas for over a thousand years.
-Truth in the heart of heresy.
-And death in the heart of truth.
-You'd be wizard at writing Christmas crackers, you two.
:lol
-Harry Potter!
-Language.
-The very centre of the Haereticum. Home of the Veritas for over a thousand years.
-Truth in the heart of heresy.
-And death in the heart of truth.
-You'd be wizard at writing Christmas crackers, you two.
:lol
Yeah, that fade to black felt off to me too. I didn't catch it having something to do with this vision or a darkness analogy, but that would explain it.
Hot Coldman
Banned
It gets the edge back when Doctor Who is saying it opposite the corpse of the President, ha.
Maddocks
Member
It goes back to my original thinking..why not use regen powers to heal his eyes, no doubt that would have been a better option then stealing something from his future self to heal his eyes only temporary.
I don't know why that bothers me so much lol But I still loved the episode and liked the concept and can't wait for the next that builds on the world.
I don't know why that bothers me so much lol But I still loved the episode and liked the concept and can't wait for the next that builds on the world.
paradox121
Member
Great episode. I love that Moffat's reached a place of being able to discuss what it means to be the Doctor without it just being him philosophising in long shouty speeches. The twist is great in that defines the episode rather than destroying it.
I love how they handle the blindness too. It's clearly quietly eating away at the Doctor without being constantly brought up. The way Capaldi sounds slightly defeated and weary throughout is fantastic.
And kudos on revealing who's in the vault without it being some grand reveal. It's just in a line of dialogue a few minutes in with no real fanfare. Does bring up the question of why, of all places, the Doctor would place the Master, known to have tried to blow up the planet on numerous occasions, on Earth.
Sign me up for the Monks = Mondasian Cybermen theory though. Would be a great way to tie the whole season together.
I love how they handle the blindness too. It's clearly quietly eating away at the Doctor without being constantly brought up. The way Capaldi sounds slightly defeated and weary throughout is fantastic.
And kudos on revealing who's in the vault without it being some grand reveal. It's just in a line of dialogue a few minutes in with no real fanfare. Does bring up the question of why, of all places, the Doctor would place the Master, known to have tried to blow up the planet on numerous occasions, on Earth.
Sign me up for the Monks = Mondasian Cybermen theory though. Would be a great way to tie the whole season together.
funkystudent
Member
Late to this season thanks to a new job but been catching up this weekend.
Bill is so much better then Clara. Why couldnt Peter have been free of that wet blanket of a companion years ago?
Bill is so much better then Clara. Why couldnt Peter have been free of that wet blanket of a companion years ago?
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Honestly, and maybe this is because Clara was an established character when I started watching this show, but other than being a lesbian, I don't really know anything meaningful about Bill.
Maybe all companions have that "derp I'm in SPAAAAAAACE" arc during their first year on the show?
Broken Joystick
At least you can talk. Who are you?
This definitely benefits from a second watch.
Doctor: This isn't a game.
Enemy: This is a game.
Doctor: This isn't a game.
Enemy: This is a game.
EvilRedEye
Member
Yeah, I thought that too. The line about the Catholics killing themselves even though they believe suicide will send them to Hell stands out as a bit of subtle foreshadowing as well.
Pretty sure not, the twist is just that it's a woman.
eyeball_kid
Member
How can you be sure? The Doctor only became aware of the simulation because the Pope came to him for help. Last episode could have been a simulation as well, in fact the Doctor being unable to heal his blindness could be a flaw in the simulation itself.
What I'm not sure of is whether the simulated Doctor sent an email to the next version of him in the next iteration of the simulation (like that one Star Trek TNG episode where they're caught in a loop), or did he somehow send a message from inside the simulation and broadcast through the alien tech to the real Doctor.
I was typing up a post about how they don't line up with the original Cyberman's origin story at all, but actually, there's nothing here that contradicts anything (and it's not exactly like small/big contradictions really matter on Who).
The biggest hint that it might be true: the original face cloth Cybermen didn't really move their mouths when talking - they just opened it, this weird digitized singsong voice would come out, and they'd close it at the end of the sentence. No other mouth movements. Just like how the monks talk in this episode...
(it doesn't really come through in pictures of course, but you'll know what I mean if you've seen the episode).
Knowing that the Mondasian Cybermen are coming up, that definitely counts as a hint in my book. Go figure, I was ready to make fun of this theory just a couple of minutes ago. The only thing that makes me doubt it is that it doesn't really seem like the kind of thing the original Cybermen used to do, but let's not forget that one of their plans included destroying the Earth by changing the weather from a weather station on the moon, so thinking up something more clever for them might not be the worst thing in the world.
Daamn, nice catch. Even the eye shape is similar.
You're overthinking it.
The simulated Doctor sent an email featuring all the memories recorded by the simulated Sonic Sunglasses to the real Doctor.
This is honestly the single biggest hangup I have with the episode... I loved this episode too but I was like "if this doctor thought he was real the entire episode... how does he know who to send it to? How to breach the system? etc.
This is why I try not to think about Doctor Who at all... it's amazing and fun when it's happening, but breaks down under scrutiny imo
Eh, I like Clara way more still except for when she was weighed down by Danny Pink. It's difficult to top her with how involved she was in the Doctor's life. Bill's my least favourite Moffat companion.
He secretly started it just before he died the last time, then figured out his own plan just before they came to kill him this time, and sent it.
APZonerunner
Member
Here's an interesting little note -- it seems Freema (Martha) turned Big Finish down for 10th Doctor audio stories - on the latest Big Finish podcast they say they've asked her but she's not interested in returning to Doctor Who right now:
https://www.bigfinish.com/podcasts/v/2017-05-22-tenth-doctor-and-rose
Wonder why that is, hmm. Freema has arguably had the second-most post-Who success out of the companions after Karen Gillan becoming part of Marvel and all that what with the main cast roles in Sense8 and that Sex and the City prequel, but I'm still surprised she said no, hmm. When she was actually on the show she was one of the most deeply embedded/involved - read a load of audio books, did Torchwood, etc.
https://www.bigfinish.com/podcasts/v/2017-05-22-tenth-doctor-and-rose
Wonder why that is, hmm. Freema has arguably had the second-most post-Who success out of the companions after Karen Gillan becoming part of Marvel and all that what with the main cast roles in Sense8 and that Sex and the City prequel, but I'm still surprised she said no, hmm. When she was actually on the show she was one of the most deeply embedded/involved - read a load of audio books, did Torchwood, etc.
Hot Coldman
Banned
Maybe she's aware of how shite she's considered to be by most of the fanbase. Wouldn't blame her if she's got better things going on.
(And, yeah, she was pretty shite, so no big loss. Piper and Tate are enough.)
CloudyTuba
Member
Someone had a theory that the aliens/monks are pre-Cybermen Mondasians, and the whole simulation aspect sounds sufficiently sci-fi/techy to fit them. Not sure it makes a ton of sense but hey, Pyramid/Pharoh's Tomb next episode could give us a modern version of the Tomb of the Cybermen theme
I doubt it's them, but...well, it could be interesting in making them feel like a huge threat again.
I don't find that very likely but it certainly sounds neat. It'd be fun to imagine that horrifying face underneath the cloth. I expect these to be new villains, though.
Nardole is fun, I dug the episode as I'm a sucker for simulation/digital VR stuff in fiction. I love how weary the Doctor is at the moment, I'm looking forward to seeing how the three-parter plays out.
Also, any seasoned DW fan knows that the Doc would never kill Missy/The Master, I mean she came back from being sentenced to death in the TV movie.
Also, any seasoned DW fan knows that the Doc would never kill Missy/The Master, I mean she came back from being sentenced to death in the TV movie.
Or perhaps she's been online and read patronising posts like yours and thinks the fan base isn't worth it.
Hot Coldman
Banned
Well, yeah. I wouldn't either. That's basically my point, she did her time on the show, moved on to more rewarding things and sees no particular affection for her contribution that would validate a return.
I have no idea what she's like elsewhere, and obviously she seems like a nice enough person, but I really, really didn't like her time on Who. Part of that falls on RTD, who defined her character as "not Rose" and gave her nothing exciting to work with. But part of it is just her lack of charisma.
Bill is night and day, and someone I would definitely be upset to see never return, given that she's killing it right now.
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