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Doctor Who Series Seven |OT| The Question You've Been Running From All Your Life

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A

APZonerunner

Member
Welp. Next week's episode, which has a good shot of being the best of the series, clashes with the FA Cup Final. The BBC finally move the show back to 7pm... and move it into the path of the football! Why? Well, to protect the voice from the football, of course.

The tradition of treating Who poorly in the scheduling continues. RIP next week's viewing figures. :(
 
A

Avixph

Member
APZonerunner said:
Welp. Next week's episode, which has a good shot of being the best of the series, clashes with the FA Cup Final. The BBC finally move the show back to 7pm... and move it into the path of the football! Why? Well, to protect the voice from the football, of course.

The tradition of treating Who poorly in the scheduling continues. RIP next week's viewing figures. :(
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I don't care about football so I'll be watching next week's Doctor Who episode, but it's still messed up that the BBC is messing with the show's schedule.
 
K

Kuraudo

Banned
People are worried about the kids in a Gaiman episode? Gaiman's great at writing kids. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole rushed setup at the end of this episode was done solely because he requested kids to be in his episode.
 
I

Incendiary

Banned
The Technomancer said:
Okay, I think that was the first time I haven't hated (or at least severely disliked) Vastra and Jenny. I think the writers are finally over the novelty of using them to shock the audience/characters in cringe-worthy ways.
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I liked it because this episode had them actually doing things, instead of "hey, we're lesbians and married" being their prime characteristic and emphasis. Strax was also better than usual, especially the horse bit.

Decent episode overall. Much like the rest of this series, there wasn't anything bad about it, but nothing really standout. Next week looks really interesting though. Of course it's Neil Gaiman, so it can't be bad.
 
P

peanutbutterlatte

Member
I don't think it was ridiculous her popping up (though when did they get an opportunity to take a picture on the Ice Warrior submarine!?), kinda reminded me of Rose when that guy has pictures of Nine on the Titanic.

It's pretty chance they'd come across pictures of her, but you can chalk that up to plot device.
 
S

StalkerUKCG

Banned
Poor Episode. Last 2 have been low points so far hopefully the next one and the final make up for it. Strax had barely any screen time which is a shame.
 
T

Trokil

Banned
Somehow I liked this episode very, very much. I don't know why, the TomTom pun was lame, the ending with the blackmailing kids as well, but everything else was just somehow great.

Madame Vastra, her wife Jenny and Strax are a very good team. If they are ever going to do another spin off, it should be about them.
 
T

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
I feel like the main plot didn't go far enough. Like, if you're going to turn people into living statues or whatever then just having your grand master plan be "poison the planet" feels...pedestrian. Either have some kind of bizarre plan actually involving the statues or else go for the full on batshit crazy route and just have nothing make sense. They tried to walk the line and it didn't work too well for me.
 
B

Bossun

Member
Is next episode the first of a season final two parter? I hate season final in one episode. It always feels so rushed...
 
F

Future Foundation

Member
Rachael Stirling was pretty good in this episode. I was surprised at how much I liked the Doctor/Ada dynamic.

I fully expect people to ship the fuck out of that relationship.

Bossun said:
Is next episode the first of a season final two parter? I hate season final in one episode. It always feels so rushed...
Click to expand...

I assume that there'll be some form of linked narrative near the end of the episode.
 
B

BatDan

Bane? Get them on board, I'll call it in.
Bossun said:
Is next episode the first of a season final two parter? I hate season final in one episode. It always feels so rushed...
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Nope, it's a one-part finale.
Though if we're lucky, it will lead into the 50th Anniversary special.
 
E

EleventhDoctor

Banned
I love the stylized "flashback" showing how The Doctor and Clars arrived at Sweetville.

I have to was shocked at first to see The Doctor all red!


That bring said....other than The Paternoster Gang being great as normal-pretty blah episode overall.
 
G

Goldrush

Member
The Technomancer said:
I feel like the main plot didn't go far enough. Like, if you're going to turn people into living statues or whatever then just having your grand master plan be "poison the planet" feels...pedestrian. Either have some kind of bizarre plan actually involving the statues or else go for the full on batshit crazy route and just have nothing make sense. They tried to walk the line and it didn't work too well for me.
Click to expand...

Couldn't really put my finger on why I hated the reveal until you said it.
 
M

Mariolee

Member
After reading some Neil Gaiman interviews, it seems like he'll use the kids as a sort of surrogate for how when he was a kid and what he would do with the TARDIS and the Doctor which couldn't properly been done before with the adult companions. That's why I'm most excited.
 
I

Incendiary

Banned
The Technomancer said:
I feel like the main plot didn't go far enough. Like, if you're going to turn people into living statues or whatever then just having your grand master plan be "poison the planet" feels...pedestrian. Either have some kind of bizarre plan actually involving the statues or else go for the full on batshit crazy route and just have nothing make sense. They tried to walk the line and it didn't work too well for me.
Click to expand...

I dunno. A rocket being built in the middle of Victorian England seems pretty far out there to me. At least with the giant steampunk Cyberman, there was, you know, Cyberman technology about and a reason for it. All this lady had was a million-year old parasite that turned people red. How did she know how to build a freakin' rocket?
 
E

EleventhDoctor

Banned
Incendiary said:
I dunno. A rocket being built in the middle of Victorian England seems pretty far out there to me. At least with the giant steampunk Cyberman, there was, you know, Cyberman technology about and a reason for it. All this lady had was a million-year old parasite that turned people red. How did she know how to build a freakin' rocket?
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Nothing about this episode made any sense.
 
H

Hot Coldman

Banned
The Technomancer said:
I feel like the main plot didn't go far enough. Like, if you're going to turn people into living statues or whatever then just having your grand master plan be "poison the planet" feels...pedestrian. Either have some kind of bizarre plan actually involving the statues or else go for the full on batshit crazy route and just have nothing make sense. They tried to walk the line and it didn't work too well for me.
Click to expand...

Those weren't statues, they were preserving people for Gillyflower's creepy master race for after the population had been obliterated. The plot clearly wasn't the focus here, it was the Paternoster gang and Ada, but the plot didn't really have any holes in it.

...Besides the rocket. But whatever, Mr Sweet taught her how. Silurians were crazy advanced, he learnt it from them. Why not.
 
The Elite

The Elite

BOSS
My thoughts...

"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh"

Worst episode since Fear Her.

Did not enjoy it at all and couldn't wait for it to end. Considering that I enjoy most of what Doctor Who has to offer, new and classic, that's saying a lot. Nothing grabbed me. The plot was never clearly explained.

That ending with the kids bugged me quite a bit. Felt tacked on so they could facilitate whatever Gaiman required for his episode. He needs two extra kids I guess.
 
K

Keyser Soze

Member
Odds on another "Reset Button" for the kids at the end of the episode next week?

Having them know that much about The Doctor / Tardis for future episodes would be too interesting - so obviously they will scrap it!
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
The Technomancer said:
I feel like the main plot didn't go far enough. Like, if you're going to turn people into living statues or whatever then just having your grand master plan be "poison the planet" feels...pedestrian. Either have some kind of bizarre plan actually involving the statues or else go for the full on batshit crazy route and just have nothing make sense. They tried to walk the line and it didn't work too well for me.
Click to expand...

they weren't statues.

they were essentially being preserved in a kind of stasis until the poison killed the rest of humanity, then they would be revived to be the woman's master race or whatever
 
K

KuwabaraTheMan

Banned
"I really like Strax, Vastra and Jenny and wish Mark Gatiss would write for the show more" said no one ever.

Just mediocre all around. My thoughts started to wander around 10 minutes in. The episode had some interesting ideas at times, but Gatiss predictably was not able to do anything with them or make something even resembling a compelling narrative.
 
Q

Quick

Banned
I don't know what the hell happened. It felt really drawn out until the Doctor appeared, and the pace accelerated. It felt like one big 40 minute scene.

I like Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, and they were severely underutilized. But maybe that was for the better, just because of how the episode was done.

Speaking of the three of them, I really wouldn't mind a Doctor-lite episode involving them solving a mystery. They have great comedic timing and chemistry.
 
M

maharg

idspispopd
I really like Strax. He's a great fish out of the water character who has yet to let me down, no matter who's writing him.

So that's at least part of that that someone's said. :p
 
Q

Quick

Banned
I did like the scene with Strax and the horse, with Thomas coming out of nowhere to give him directions. Strax arguing with a horse lol.
 
B

Box of Bunnies

Banned
I see a lot of "spin off please" talk with Vastra and Co. but I don't really think it'd work that well. They're fun support characters, Strax especially, but I think they'd grate pretty quickly if they were more than that.
 
B

Bobby Roberts

Banned
That seems like a case of typical fandom "feed us til we burst" bullshit. Fans will go Mr. Creosote if you let them.

Sometimes supporting characters should stay supporting characters. Not everything needs a spinoff.
 
M

maharg

idspispopd
Box of Bunnies said:
I see a lot of "spin off please" talk with Vastra and Co. but I don't really think it'd work that well. They're fun support characters, Strax especially, but I think they'd grate pretty quickly if they were more than that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, much as I like Strax in particular it'd never work. Spinoffs based on the comic relief rarely end well.
 
A

Axiom

Member
I really quite enjoyed that episode, but I also rather enjoy Jenny, Vastra and Strax. Dame Diana Rigg was excellent and it was neat seeing her be an absolute monster to her real life daughter.

Though I am rather fond of two anyway, Diana Rigg for obvious reasons and Rachael Stirling ever since I saw Tipping the Velvet...also for obvious, if superficial, reasons if you've seen it.


KuwabaraTheMan said:
"I really like Strax, Vastra and Jenny and wish Mark Gatiss would write for the show more" said no one ever.
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I'd say that out loud quite happily.
 
Q

Quick

Banned
Symphonic said:
Shit even in Classic Who the occasional completely cheesy episode was the norm. Wouldn't be Doctor Who without these episodes, in my opinion.
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I think the problem isn't that it's "Doctor Who cheese", but how the episode was put together. I thought the concept was great: radical religious woman starts her own cult society, promising salvation, turns out she's causing the very end she's saving people from, Doctor and Clara (with Vastra, Jenny, and Strax) infiltrate and investigate. Then it just falls apart.
 
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