On repeated rewatches, those episodes stood the test of time better, for me. The angels were sooo much better on Blink, imho.
I feel like I am slowly turning into Kuwabara... help me
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Doctor Who Series Seven |OT| The Question You've Been Running From All Your Life
- Thread starter Mr. Sam
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On repeated rewatches, those episodes stood the test of time better, for me. The angels were sooo much better on Blink, imho.
Blink was a better episode than ToA / FaS - but they're still fantastically nuanced and innovative pieces of writing. One dodgy scene with them moving unconvincingly doesn't
negate all of the aspects in which the episode excelled (two doctors in the forest, whatever bears the image of an angel is itself an angel, that twist in the first episode where it's revealed they've been surrounded by angels the whole time, the fantastic, and still unbettered timey-wimey pre-credits sequence, the clerics being sequentially wiped from reality, the angels making amy inadvertently count down to her own demise JUST TO FUCK WITH HER, father octavian's death scene, the sequence where the clerics have to circumscribe the angels by shooting them in darkness ) For me it was moffat firing on all cylinders in a way that (at least in doctor who) he hasn't since the impossible astronaut / day of the moon.
The flesh two-parter is just throwaway. An intimate exploration of the human condition isn't a bad idea for a doctor who story in principle but Matthew Graham isn't up to it, and nowhere is that more evident in the "morally ambiguous enemy turns into an evil spider" ending. Apart from the amy cliffhanger they're just horrible, not season 7 horrible but close. I might even prefer curse of the black spot to them.
peanutbutterlatte
Member
I really hate that the fucking "shoot him not me" stereotypical clone episode got a two parter, but none of the other "arc" episodes in S6 did (Hitler, Good Man, Wedding). I'm planning on showing my parents Doctor Who this summer, and I'm sort of pissed I even have to show them the Flesh Story for the arc-essential bit at the end.
StalkerUKCG
Banned
So I checked with my source about that DW movie rumor from OG. He said while he has heard no confirmation either way it makes sense to him based on what he knows about money allocation for departments and mentioned something about the "Giant Screen" team.
BBC:A involvement if it did happen would be minimal to none however whatever film studio they worked which could end up having a deal of creative control
On the subject of spin offs which i spoke of before he said that the person responsible for that has returned from a work absence and is pursuing it. BBC consider DW a brand that like Top Gear needs to be exploited as best it can.
BBC:A involvement if it did happen would be minimal to none however whatever film studio they worked which could end up having a deal of creative control
On the subject of spin offs which i spoke of before he said that the person responsible for that has returned from a work absence and is pursuing it. BBC consider DW a brand that like Top Gear needs to be exploited as best it can.
peanutbutterlatte
Member
"Exploited" doesn't have to be bad. I just worry about spinoffs and movies when in the show's current state they can't afford to get a whole 13 episode season out per year. And if the spinoff involves Strax, Jenny and Vastra, I think they're one-note and don't deserve it. Jack was exploding with charisma so it made perfect sense. Vastra is the only interesting character out of the three.
JonathanEx
Member
"Giant Screen"... BBC Worldwide have done some 'giant screen' stuff with their nature team, using that for discussing cinema. Think they're the name of a partner company? But definitely history for that term in a BBC monetizing sense. Intriguing.
infiniteloop
Member
They need to get a 13 episode series out consistently every year. I can give or take the Christmas ep nowadays.
If a member of the production team, producer, actor, whatever, can't meet that schedule then the need to find someone else.
If a member of the production team, producer, actor, whatever, can't meet that schedule then the need to find someone else.
I'd welcome the return of doctor-lite / companion-lite episodes in a heartbeat if it meant we got seasons in at least a semi-regular cadence.
peanutbutterlatte
Member
If the money isn't there, or if they think it's a decent idea (fucking American influence), they'll keep doing it unfortunately. This was the official reasoning behind the first S6 split;
Some bullshit reasoning there, especially the latter part. It talk as if the split was specifically tailored for Series 6, though clearly that isn't the case because it worked with Series 7 and Amy & Rory's departure as well. So unless Series 8 has a similar event or plot climax, will it not be split? There's more at work here.
infiniteloop
Member
"it will never be more than a few months to the next Doctor Who!"
L-fucking-OL
L-fucking-OL
StalkerUKCG
Banned
Wasn't the rumor for next season that it would be 13 episodes starting august and leading into xmas?
peanutbutterlatte
Member
Heh, I have a feeling it will be more than a "few" between Christmas and the Season 8 premiere.
infiniteloop
Member
yes, 12 regular episode + christmas.
If season 8 starts broadcasting late August 2014, we'll have 2 episode in the next year.
If season 8 starts broadcasting late August 2014, we'll have 2 episode in the next year.
acheron_xl
Member
Isn't a component of the problem that they were running out the clock so they could still have Matt around do the 50th? The optimistic part of me hopes they're not entirely incompetent.
infiniteloop
Member
Well, Matt said recently he had wanted to do 3 series, the anniversary and then leave. So it's entirely plausible they stretched 3 series over 4 years for that reason.
APZonerunner
Member
There's the post above, for one, but the rumour mill just seems to indicate a shit load of problems causing this, as well. This production year was almost treated like a reset, with the studio move and staff changes and stuff, an attempt to wash away the problems that caused scheduling and filming disasters with S6.
infiniteloop
Member
I'd never notice these until you mentioned them.
Now they have their own figure:
I want this:
StalkerUKCG
Banned
Character Options changing the scale really annoyed me as a collector. I only really wanted Skaldak and the New Cybermen but still. Knowing I won't get a Clara, Hurt, Capaldi in scale is the real kicker.
sonikokaruto
Banned
omg
season 1 ending was ... strong
i'm gonna miss eccleston ToT
season 1 ending was ... strong
i'm gonna miss eccleston ToT
acheron_xl
Member
That finale was the best of RTD's run, easily. They get progressively worse until the S5 finale.
And you know what? So was I.
I'm aware it doesn't make any sense in this context, but I love this scene. Sue me.
Exclusive Capaldi shots:
Him in the Tardis wardrobe, experimenting with clothes.
And, in a response to Twitter complaints, Moffat has finally hit on an outfit to appease everyone:
Him in the Tardis wardrobe, experimenting with clothes.
And, in a response to Twitter complaints, Moffat has finally hit on an outfit to appease everyone:
I was looking through some of his past works and discovered that he was in Jealousy, one of the lesser-known Comic Strip productions. That's where these come from
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
Welcome to the club, im of the opinions that doctor who have usually some of the best (in epic and fun excitent) season finales of any series ive seen. I was like you 2 months ago and now its my favourite series ever, and I love the three doctors equally.
Now im starting old who with Hartnell and will try to watch all the best or important episodes of each doctor.
EleventhDoctor
Banned
NEVER FORGET
EleventhDoctor
Banned
Hey dude-leave us out of it. When American shows take a split season-you're still getting a full season over the course of 12 months-like The Walking Dead. Doctor Who does a split season over the course of 18 months.
infiniteloop
Member
Started watching from Season 1 a couple weeks back, so good. Eccleston's a great Doctor, the characters progress really nicely. You can tell there's not much of budget, reused sets and props, pretty bad CGI but has a charm to it. One of, if not the best new Who season finale. Such a shame we only got one season with Eccleston.
Season 2 is a bit of a mixed bag, some great episodes (impossible planet, girl in the fireplace) and some terrible ones (Idiot's Lantern, Fear Her. Tennant is an immediate downgrade. The finale has lost of lot of it's shine since broadcast. Remember how hyped people were that the Daleks where in the sphere?
Just watched the first Daleks in NY 2-parter. Season 3 is incredibly average so far (I don't rate Gridlock very highly). Obviously there's a couple of classics towards the end.
Season 2 is a bit of a mixed bag, some great episodes (impossible planet, girl in the fireplace) and some terrible ones (Idiot's Lantern, Fear Her. Tennant is an immediate downgrade. The finale has lost of lot of it's shine since broadcast. Remember how hyped people were that the Daleks where in the sphere?
Just watched the first Daleks in NY 2-parter. Season 3 is incredibly average so far (I don't rate Gridlock very highly). Obviously there's a couple of classics towards the end.
GameplayWhore
Member
Yeah, split seasons aren't inherently a bad thing. The episodes are just clumped differently, and you get less waiting time between clumps of episodes.
What happened here is that the duration of the season was increased without increasing the number of episodes. If Doctor Who had 13 episodes in Spring 2013 then 13 episodes in Fall 2014 then 13 episodes in Spring 2016, it would be at least equally terrible.
GameplayWhore
Member
Come on, guys, don't be so hard on Capaldi. I think he'll work out despite looking a bit on the older side.
(edit: and here I thought I was responding to two separate Who threads
)peanutbutterlatte
Member
It's something that's similarly plagued me between watching Doctor Who and HIMYM. And a full season of Walking Dead? That sounds painful...
APZonerunner
Member
I really maintain that at its core Evolution is an AMAZING Dalek story. Quite possibly the best and most rich, lore wise, since the reboot. The way they betray their own, the ideas Sec dares to have... there's something wonderfully unsettling about when they're gathering up next to each other down in the sewers and question their leader, unthinkable for them. Plus then you've got little touches, like one of them sacrificing armour plating to create the device they need, all that. In no other episode are they backed against the wall so completely, and the core of the result is great. It's just a shame that everything around it - the Pig Men, New York, the supporting cast - is fucking awful. Such a wasted opportunity.
Tennant doesn't really hit his stride until Series 3. He really struggled to step out of the shadow of Eccleston really, and ironically I think without Rose and her family as a support his Doctor may have buckled in Series 2. He nails it as time goes on, though, and supplants Eccleston in terms of public mind at least.
infiniteloop
Member
Totally agree, he's much better from the outset in Season 3. They were showing End of Time before the 12th Doctor announcement show in the US, night and day from Season 2.
Uhhh, season two's ending blows it out of the water. The feels in Season 2, oh man it hurts. Middles of S2 is very boring, but that ending makes up for it.
EleventhDoctor
Banned
Totally agree. As much as I prefer the Moffet era over the RTD era-Angels Take Manhattan has nothing on Doomsday. That wrecked me and everyone I know who watched it.
peanutbutterlatte
Member
Season 4 retroactively ruins Season 2's ending though. Once you know Rose gets her own carbon copy sex doll Doctor, possibly with their own damn Tardis, all emotional gravitas goes out of it. So yeah, S1 is still superior.
S3's could have easily been the best were it not for the big ol' Deus Ex Machina at the end. Honestly, the Mr. Saxon arc buildup and Utopia episode (Master/Y.A.N.A reveal) was fantastic.
S3's could have easily been the best were it not for the big ol' Deus Ex Machina at the end. Honestly, the Mr. Saxon arc buildup and Utopia episode (Master/Y.A.N.A reveal) was fantastic.
GarthVaderUK
Banned
I was going to get the 11 Doctors 5" set, but the change to smaller figures put me right off as it means no 5" 12th Doctor to go with them and I can't be having that! The smaller figs look nowhere near as good either. Might just get the cute little Character Building Doctors (prob mix and match the sets so I can get my fave outfits for each), they're bound to have a 12th Doctor for that range at some point.
No Deus Ex Machina there. The very point of Jesus Doctor was that if you go to a planet and build a fucking telepathic field to harvest their emotions (or whatever), you will have to face the consequences when that field is used against you.
Yeah, the mechanics of the system the Doctor turns back upon the Master are clearly set up. It's much less of one, in my opinion, than the Season 4 resolution.
Yeah, that really was a deus ex machina. Oh, a hand coming in handy. Oh, Dr. Donna. Oh, we are done.
The Real Abed
Perma-Junior
This would make me so happy. Let Eccleston have his own list of demands or something, but dangit, do it! Even if he only spouts a one-liner and disappears of in his own TARDIS.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
I think its more the fact that Martha travels the earth telling everyone about how awesome the Doctor is so that they will "believe" in him and just think "Doctor" to save him that does it for me.
Its worse in Last of the Time Lords because the scale is absurd, but I always felt like the ending to The Big Bang pulled the same annoying trick. Yes, it was exceedingly clever that they foreshadowed it in Time of Angels but still, Amy bringing him back from nothingness by remembering him was just...blegh.
Hot Coldman
Banned
I think the bleak tone of TLotTL makes its ending, centred around hope, a bit... jarring. Throw in some fucking bizarre special effects decisions, and you have an ending that, whilst logically sound on some level, goes down like a shit sandwich. At least they realised the Master needed to die, and Martha needed to leave.
The Big Bang knows what it is. Anyway, I like the idea of a self-correcting universe; it makes the show make a lot more sense, frankly, what with the Doctor's constant meddling in time.
The Big Bang knows what it is. Anyway, I like the idea of a self-correcting universe; it makes the show make a lot more sense, frankly, what with the Doctor's constant meddling in time.
bengraven
Member
Honestly at this point I think they should just say fuck it and do a body double.
Hurt falls over in pain, turns around and regenerates away from us and there's a body double from the bag dressed like Ecc who walks away.
just show the fucking regen, fuck Eccleston.
needs to come back with a vengeance.
They looked like crap but I honestly liked the concept.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
I didnt really mind the jesus doctor, not the best thing to do but it didnt made me hate it with a passion like some people here. Now, I didnt like the shitty dobby doctor though, that was horrible.
In fact I only really hate as a whole two episodes of doctor who and thats because they were so horribly boring that make me puke. Fear her and the widow, the wardrobe and the doctor. I find some others mediocre but not to the part of hating them as much as some people here.
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