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Doctor Who Series 9 |OT| Let Zygons Be Zygons

Vibranium

Banned
Man...I thought I'd check in, Capaldi can elevate light and dark material with such excellence. I'll wait a whole damn year for Season 10. Can't frickin' wait for Heaven Sent, I'm kind of getting Evangelion episode 25/26 vibes based on the preview pictures, since we will be seeing a lot of the Doctor's emotional state. 12 looks scary as hell with the jacket and blood on his face.

Also, I hope the next companion is older or younger than 20's/early 30's personally.
 

Vegito

Banned
not sure if this idea has been brought up before but I was thinking. What if in heaven sent the doctor is in heaven and in hell bent he goes to tell?
 

Symphonia

Banned
I can't help but feel we'll be seeing Missy again, if only because of Heaven Sent. Missy created 'Heaven' in S8, and we are
supposedly returning to Gallifrey
this season.
 
8D_01_FP_JP%2Bby%2BSImon%2BMyers.jpg





http://blogtorwho.blogspot.com/2015/11/doctor-who-comic-covers-inspired-by.html

So, snake belts are in this year? I'll have a bit of a rummage...
 
I think it's unfair, and I'd like to see this ambition with a companion again. Just not derailed by how she was introduced, and then derailed again by her staying. I don't think you'd be seeing these criticisms resurface so much if she'd bowed out as Old Clara.

Face The Raven showed how well she could be written following the template of series 8, and how much it brought to the table with Capaldi having these things to work with.

It's not Clara's fault no one else bothered.

I wrote a long summary of Clara's strong and increasingly autonomous roles during Series 8 and 9, but the daleks exterminated it. The potted version is that we're continuing to see Doctor Who from his companion's viewpoint. It's a trend you could say goes back to Davies, but it's really more evident in Moffat's writing throughout the revival. It was a key part of the Amy/Rory/River and Paternoster sagas, and proved to be at the heart of the Name of the Doctor strand. In Listen, Moffat even has to introduce a soliloquy so Doctor Who can get his own words out. Still, even in that episode, Clara ends up holding the missing parts of the jigsaw puzzle and can never divulge them to Doctor Who.

I'm convinced that those who say writers short-changed Clara have, ahem, overlooked her pivotal roles in most episodes. Jenna's ability to hold a scene was not ignored by the writers.
 

Blader

Member
It's funny how venomous the reaction to the RTD era was when those episodes were on air (sorry, "transmitting"!), and now they're remembered fondly as the good old years. I wonder if/when Moffat's tenure will get those same rose-tinted glasses.
 

hamchan

Member
It's funny how venomous the reaction to the RTD era was when those episodes were on air (sorry, "transmitting"!), and now they're remembered fondly as the good old years. I wonder if/when Moffat's tenure will get those same rose-tinted glasses.

When Moffat's successor does a worse job than him.
 

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
I wrote a long summary of Clara's strong and increasingly autonomous roles during Series 8 and 9, but the daleks exterminated it. The potted version is that we're continuing to see Doctor Who from his companion's viewpoint. It's a trend you could say goes back to Davies, but it's really more evident in Moffat's writing throughout the revival. It was a key part of the Amy/Rory/River and Paternoster sagas, and proved to be at the heart of the Name of the Doctor strand. In Listen, Moffat even has to introduce a soliloquy so Doctor Who can get his own words out. Still, even in that episode, Clara ends up holding the missing parts of the jigsaw puzzle and can never divulge them to Doctor Who.

I'm convinced that those who say writers short-changed Clara have, ahem, overlooked her pivotal roles in most episodes. Jenna's ability to hold a scene was not ignored by the writers.

It was there in series 8, it was not there in series 9 until this episode which just told you it was.

The fact you refer all the way back to Listen speaks volumes, as did this episode drawing so heavily on Flatline which was the only episode to make the case for her wanting to become the Doctor and bold enough to actually let her do it. It was also a year ago.

After establishing a new Doctor, using Clara to do so, series 9 stepped back completely from the need to do it. But with these themes being the reason for Clara's departure it needed to stay the course, and the stories and Clara suffered as a result. As did what Capaldi could bring to the role.

Face The Raven was like being hit around the head with how much better it could all be.
 
It's funny how venomous the reaction to the RTD era was when those episodes were on air (sorry, "transmitting"!), and now they're remembered fondly as the good old years. I wonder if/when Moffat's tenure will get those same rose-tinted glasses.

I'm definitely of the opinion that the RTD years are generally much less watchable than the Moffat years. Outside of the older Moffat episodes and a few stand-outs like Midnight, I think they're not that great. Which is a shame because I really love David Tennant. Waters of Mars was pretty awesome, shame about that other one with the desert bus really.
 
The fact you refer all the way back to Listen speaks volumes

It speaks to my inept handling of this awful touch screen interface. I lost my episode-by-episode summary and don't care to repeat the task. Use your imagination to answer the question: where would this story go if not for the presence of the companion and the ensemble cast? In particular I'd single out the first and fourth two-part stories of Series 9 in making particularly good use of the companion role. In the first, Missy and Clara run around rescuing Doctor Who from Davros. In the fourth, Clara, Osgood and Kate take turns saving the day. It's as if the traditional companion role were reversed, with Doctor Who getting into scrapes and the companion saving him.
 

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
It speaks to my inept handling of this awful touch screen interface. I lost my episode-by-episode summary and don't care to repeat the task. Use your imagination to answer the question: where would this story go if not for the presence of the companion and the ensemble cast? In particular I'd single out the first and fourth two-part stories of Series 9 in making particularly good use of the companion role. In the first, Missy and Clara run around rescuing Doctor Who from Davros. In the fourth, Clara, Osgood and Kate take turns saving the day. It's as if the traditional companion role were reversed, with Doctor Who getting into scrapes and the companion saving him.

As with Forest, which basically threw out everything which preceded it, we are not going to agree.

Listen/Mummy/Flatline all wove good stories involving character development of both the Doctor and Clara and tying ongoing themes not only into what was happening in the stories, but all 3 very deliberately also gave the viewer something to take away regarding those themes at the end. We didn't hit those highs as episodes again this series till Face The Raven, and only then because we HAD to. A single speech does not a great episode, or indeed a good story, make.

Series 9 has been basic, and indeed quite messy, Doctor Who in comparison without the need to work all this into the stories themselves throughout the series. You can go looking for it, but you should never have needed to.

It just hasn't been held together in the way it was in series 8, which was a mistake in building to the loss of a key part of it.

I'm criticising some pretty disgusting behaviour. If you feel insulted, perhaps the message is getting through.

Point out my disgusting behaviour, or anyone else's in this thread, and I may think of you as something other than a complete lunatic sitting in a room painted like a TARDIS with photos of Clara on the wall and candles burning.
 
For the Age Impaired...


Also I don't think generalizing Moffat/RDT makes much sense anymore. I certainly have my issues with some of Moffat's overall style, but there are fantastic episodes and storylines in both eras. And the Capaldi seasons are pretty different from the Smith ones (apart from 7.2). For my money, I'd rewatch the Tennant years before the Smith ones, but really I'd pick and choose from all the different Doctors. No reason to watch Idiot's Lantern, Gridlock, Let's Kill Hitler, or Good Man Goes to War again-- but I'm down for Family of Blood, Blink, Girl Who Waited, Cold War (hey, I loved it), etc.
 

hamchan

Member
The only sad part of Moffat's run so far is that he didn't have his own "Moffat". That guy during RTD's run that just wrote amazing episodes all the time and was such an obvious choice to be the next showrunner that everyone pretty much agreed what a great choice he'd be.

Moffat never had that guy.
 
The only sad part of Moffat's run so far is that he didn't have his own "Moffat". That guy during RTD's run that just wrote amazing episodes all the time and was such an obvious choice to be the next showrunner that everyone pretty much agreed what a great choice he'd be.

Moffat never had that guy.

Very true. RTD+Moffat is da best.
 

Ophelion

Member
The only sad part of Moffat's run so far is that he didn't have his own "Moffat". That guy during RTD's run that just wrote amazing episodes all the time and was such an obvious choice to be the next showrunner that everyone pretty much agreed what a great choice he'd be.

Moffat never had that guy.

After The Doctor's Wife, I thought it was going to be Neil Gaiman, but then for whatever reason Nightmare in Silver wasn't that great and then Neil insinuated that BBC doesn't pay enough for the levels of shit he has to go through to write for the show and hasn't contributed since.
 

Blader

Member
I feel like Moffat has been his own Moffat. Just quickly looking at the written by credits since S5, he has not just the highest but most consistent volume of strong episodes. There are guys like Gaiman and Mathieson who knocked it out of the park on their first go, then faltered a lot on the following year.
 

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
Weren't there a lot of co-written episodes with Moffat during series 8?

I think that's got something to do with it being held together as a series better, and the ongoing character development of the Doctor and Clara which was ignored this time.

Didn't work this series with Mathieson though, who had already managed quite well on his own.

His episode seemed over-stuffed.
 

thefil

Member
Listened to Minuet in Hell yesterday. I actually thought it was quite good! It was totally batshit and altogether bold. The whole sex dungeon thing, demon worship and to top it off giving zero non-muddled airtime to the Doctor and Charley for the first 2 (3?) parts. It was confusing but engaging. I don't even have any fondness for the Brigadier since I've seen zero Three stories. I think I liked the weird format more than the story itself, but that's OK.

On the other hand, two parts into Invaders from Mars on the way into work this morning, and blech. Totally uninterested, especially by the twist at the end of part 2.

Finally, please BF no more American accents.
 

Kathian

Banned
After The Doctor's Wife, I thought it was going to be Neil Gaiman, but then for whatever reason Nightmare in Silver wasn't that great and then Neil insinuated that BBC doesn't pay enough for the levels of shit he has to go through to write for the show and hasn't contributed since.

Nightmare on Silver was not just 'not very good' it was absolute shite. Since it went out he's been quietly rumbling and I expect he blames the BBC for it not working but the whole thibk stank and worse for any writer so did the dialogue. Its biggest error was how much it expected from Smith - Moffat should have reigned that in in fairness.

Its my least favourite New Who story bit then Gatiss might have just beat him!
 

Philippo

Member
Knew what was coming in the last 15mins, still hit me like a truck.
Literally spent the finale just saying NO NO NO while tearing up.

Farewell Clara, you were my favourite NuWho companion with a very personal reason behind my fondness.

I'll keep listening to her theme for days now.

Also 12th rocking that velvet jacket, aces!
 

Quick

Banned
The only sad part of Moffat's run so far is that he didn't have his own "Moffat". That guy during RTD's run that just wrote amazing episodes all the time and was such an obvious choice to be the next showrunner that everyone pretty much agreed what a great choice he'd be.

Moffat never had that guy.

Very true. RTD+Moffat is da best.

I'd like to think that Toby Whithouse is the Moffat to RTD for Moffat, but not quite as much of an impact as Moffat had in RTD's run.

He did School Reunion (RTD), The Vampires of Venice, The God Complex, A Town Called Mercy, and Under the Lake/Before the Flood so far.

Personally, these episodes were good to great. He hasn't written anything on Doctor Who that I consider bad.
 
Calling it now: One honeymoon season, three episodes into the second.

Well, he'd be doing better than Moffat did. Series 5 was getting dog's abuse as it went out, and it wasn't until later when it got widely critically reappraised.

I've noticed there's been a bit of a reappraisal of series 6 in recent months- I'll be interested to see how far that goes.
 
I'd like to think that Toby Whithouse is the Moffat to RTD for Moffat, but not quite as much of an impact as Moffat had in RTD's run.

He did School Reunion (RTD), The Vampires of Venice, The God Complex, A Town Called Mercy, and Under the Lake/Before the Flood so far.

Personally, these episodes were good to great. He hasn't written anything on Doctor Who that I consider bad.

Eek. Nothing personal, but those episodes range from bad to forgettable to meh to me, except for Under the Lake/Before the Flood. Vampires was bad, God Complex was confusing and dull, Town Called Mercy I have literally forgotten anything but the premise. School Reunion was OK I guess.
 
Eek. Nothing personal, but those episodes range from bad to forgettable to meh to me, except for Under the Lake/Before the Flood. Vampires was bad, God Complex was confusing and dull, Town Called Mercy I have literally forgotten anything but the premise. School Reunion was OK I guess.

General agreement, although I thought TCM was a nice change of pace, and UTL/BTF was my favorite story in a couple of years.
 
I like School Reunion and God Complex a lot, and Before the Flood was one of the best episodes this series. The rest I find to be pretty forgettable.
 

Ophelion

Member
Nightmare on Silver was not just 'not very good' it was absolute shite. Since it went out he's been quietly rumbling and I expect he blames the BBC for it not working but the whole thibk stank and worse for any writer so did the dialogue. Its biggest error was how much it expected from Smith - Moffat should have reigned that in in fairness.

Its my least favourite New Who story bit then Gatiss might have just beat him!

There were a lot of good ideas in it, but it didn't come together. I'm not sure I like the idea of trying to make the Cybermen more of a threat by making them more powerful rather than more obviously human (Danny Pink's exposed and mangled face inside an open cyberman helmet made them seem far more monstrous than anything a bullet time cyberman could do.)

I did like how much the script gave Clara to do and I personally thought Smith's role in the story was really good.

It wasn't my favorite by any stretch, but the only reason I'm sour on it in particular is because Gaiman already proved he could write a great Doctor Who script with The Doctor's Wife. I don't know if production got in the way, rewrites happened that weren't any good or if it just wasn't that solid of a script to begin with, but it seems a shame that Gaiman probably won't turn out anything else for them. Especially since I remember hearing he had an idea for a Weeping Angels story and it's been a sufficiently long enough time I wouldn't mind seeing them again.
 
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