The Doctor Who thread


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So.....thoughts?

First off, I think it was a pretty good episode. For one thing I really liked Clara in this one. I think she played things very well with the right mix of wanting Twelve to be the Doctor but also not sure that he would be. I thought Peter C. did a real fine job putting his own spin on the Doctor but for sure we won't find out fully probably till next episode. The Vastra gang being back was fun with some good moments for everybody. Scratching my head just a bit by the ending scene but I guess that's what its supposed to do.

I hope that was spoiler free enough, if not someone feel free to start editing.

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I'm overall very happy with Capaldi.

Moffat, though, I'm done with.

There was no reason for the episode to be as long as it was. The plot was spread incredibly thin.

I am incredibly over Clara as a companion at this stage. I really and truly hope we get over the BUT YOURE NOT HIM bit very quickly.

The phone call honestly made me roll my eyes into the back of my head.

Also, the fuck is with Missy? Is she our new River?

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Stuff I liked:

I feel like they're finally getting a handle on Clara. Now that the "Impossible Girl" thing is out of the way, she can be a character and not a Rubik's Cube. Her interplay with Capadi is quite good, and their bickering was actually pretty funny. It kind of made me think "Six and Peri done correctly". Coleman played her scene with the main bad guy incredibly well.

Jenny was pretty good as well. Up to this point, there's been nothing more to her and Vastra but "THEY'RE LESBIANS AND MARRIED AND ALSO ONE'S A LIZARD" and it's been exclusively the Vastra show. However, Jenny had a decent showing here, playing someone who has to put up with an awful lot from someone who I would imagine is not very easy to be married to.

The idea behind the Steampunk Droids was kind of rote (and the story did itself no favors by constantly reminding us we've seen this before), but the actual realization was really well done. They were creepy as fuck, and the lead droid looked great.

Capaldi himself was great. I need more time with his Doctor, because I don't actually feel like I know this guy yet. However, the guy I saw here was funny and smart and dangerous. A good start.

Stuff I was less excited about:

The story wasn't awesome. The episode was far too long, and it felt very stretched out. However, I don't think it could have been cut down to 45 minutes, and making this a two-parter would have killed it, so I guess this is what we got. The Droids really didn't have a lot to do, and while I think that the "new Doctor" aspect needs to take precedence, the plot was paper-thin.

The Paternoster Gang scenes felt like a pilot. I'm all for more of them within reason, and a lot of their scenes were amusing, but they were tacked on. Also, Strax was wasted, and that cannot stand.

All in all, I'm looking forward seeing more.

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I liked it. Capaldi didn't sell me on his Doctor right away, but that moment came:

In the restaurant when its just him and the Half Faced Man. That's when he settled in and became The Doctor, for me. Oh boy is he going to be Dark.

"Attack eyebrows!"

Also:

1) Who put the message in the Times?
2) Who is Missy?

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Who cares?

I can't even decide between my two responses. What the hell.

#1: I bet Doctor Who cares!

George-Costanza-Point-Wink-On-Seinfeld.g

#2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Q7CcINC8M

So, overall, I really liked it. I mean, realistically I could go and poke critical analysis holes in it, but ultimately I had a lot of fun watching it and I'm excited to see more.

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Capaldi, what we saw of him, was awesome. This episode has cemented my opinion that I really can't care about Clara. I don't really know why, but the focus was much more on her.

I can't help but feel that:

If they didn't have to worry about placating people who a) miss Matt Smith b)

still miss David Tennant (ffs get over it) c) are outraged that the Doctor isn't in his twenties anymore, this episode would've been a LOT better.

It's an interesting strategy to open a new Doctor with the ethos of "Come on, give him a chance"

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I've got to agree with Dan, I really thought Clara shined in this episode. It might be JLC's best performance yet and let's her stretch her legs.



Speaking of that loved the Amy joke Twelve made when they were trying to pick the sonic up off the floor.

As to who put the message in the paper I'm ATM assuming it was the woman at the end of the episode. She pointed the Doctor to the restaurant as maybe a test or something?

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I liked it. Not the best opener, and I do think we're likely to once again see a fall in viewers this series but what the hell, Capaldi is a much needed change. It's going to be fascinating to see what he settles down into. Also not sharing the whole Clara complaints deal. Big fan of the character and JLC.

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Agreeing with Stavros.

It was a fun episode and I like what they did with Clara. I like that she's being smart and sure, she's being apprehensive about the new Doctor but no one is going back in time and calling out Ben and Polly for the same behavior. Yes, Clara knew it was coming but that doesn't make it any less traumatic. One of the things I liked is that this was kind of a Doctor-lite episode. We spend more time with Clara and the Vastra Group (who, yeah, this was totally a backdoor pilot for) but then, it almost felt necessary.

BTW, Missi? Totally The Master. Her garden looks a lot like a TARDIS console room.

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I thought the first half was a bit clunky, but the show settled down and I liked the overall result. Capaldi was great, JLC was given some real meat to sink her teeth into and having the Paternoster Gang on hand really helped aid the continuity.

Specifically, the show turned when Twelve is rambling at the tramp in the alley as a way of exploring his physionomy/dialect, but when he meets with Clara at the restaurant and sparked off her, the episode really kicked into gear. The egomaniac line was pretty fun, particularly when twisted.

The "Deep Breath" concept was nice, even though arguably it's a retread of Blink. In this instance, not only is Clara holding her breath, but she's also keeping her eyes wide, and they start watering as a result. Moreover, I liked the flashback of what the Doctor said to plant the seed in her head. And on that basis, I want to talk about Ben Wheatley's direction - this episode LOOKED different to previous ones. And the episode made a point of cutting away before it could be established whether the antagonist had jumped or was pushed by the Doctor, and it was referred to at the end. In that Wheatley is directing the next Dalek-related episode, I'm very interested to see how that'll be shot.

I liked the Paternoster Gang being used and agree with Dan that this episode did a lot to further the Vastra/Jenny dynamic. Strax lost out for the most part, apart from the acid line and braining Clara with a newspaper. The scene with him giving Clara a medical was a waste of time though.

The titles were very good, the theme.....will take getting used to. But fair play to Moffatt for getting the guy who put a fanvid on youtube to recreate it for the actual show. Also, the Eleven cameo to lay the ground for Twelve I think was needed - Eleven was really ill-served by Ten's last line being "I don't want to go" and therefore had a one minute slot at the conclusion of 'End of Time' to get over. It's somewhat meta, but when a fanbase is shallow enough to be turned off by a show by the casting of a non-attractive actor as the lead, it does need addressing.

Also, I get that not everyone's pro-Moffatt - like half of the internet at this point - but I sincerely hope he's not going to be namechecked every week, particularly as a stick to beat the show with if he isn't the writer that week. I think it's pretty clear that the Missy character is the new season-arc hook, which every new Who series has had to some extent. I'm not saying "waah, how dare you criticise Dr Who! waaah!!" but I prefer criticism to be based on something other than "ugh, Moffatt".

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Specifically, the show turned when Twelve is rambling at the tramp in the alley as a way of exploring his physionomy/dialect, but when he meets with Clara at the restaurant and sparked off her, the episode really kicked into gear. The egomaniac line was pretty fun, particularly when twisted.

That was where it turned around for me, too. I didn't think the early regeneration trauma scenes gave him much, but he really got to stretch his legs in that scene. They kept that up with the restaurant scene and his conversation with the leader.

The "Deep Breath" concept was nice, even though arguably it's a retread of Blink.

That scene was really well done. Clara's eye watering was a nice touch.

I liked the Paternoster Gang being used and agree with Dan that this episode did a lot to further the Vastra/Jenny dynamic.

I didn't really feel that it did much. There were some new wrinkles, but it's pretty much the same as always: Vastra and/or Jenny mention they're married, joke about Vastra eating a criminal, Strax says something about the Sontaran Empire. Oh, and ninja stuff now apparently. Four episodes with them and we really don't know much about who they are beyond their gags.

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