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Doctor Who Series 11 |OT|- She’s Here, and It’s About Time
- Thread starter Dwebble
- Start date
These are decidedly human stories, and I really like it.
There is something off about the tone, and I think the music is a problem for me.
There is something off about the tone, and I think the music is a problem for me.
Good episode but once again, misunderstood aliens. It was good though, that the "demons" were ordinary people.
Still feel that while Doctor Who has good drama, the sci-fi is lackluster, and taking a backseat.
Loved the oral rendition of the theme tune at the end, so emotional.
Still feel that while Doctor Who has good drama, the sci-fi is lackluster, and taking a backseat.
Loved the oral rendition of the theme tune at the end, so emotional.
Why do i get the feeling we will see those aliens again (especially if one of the companions die)
That was good stuff. So far I only REALLY liked this and Rosa though. I've got similarly high hopes for the next few guest written episodes, but this does make the quality difference with Chibs' stuff stand out to me.
Also gotta say I really really liked the Doctor in this one.
Also gotta say I really really liked the Doctor in this one.
really liked this episode
interesting that it tried to tackle how young men can become radicalised, although i think it would have been better if it explored this problem a bit deeper - how was manish pushed to these extremist views after the war? it's implied that it's through a level of ptsd - but we know emotional trauma isn't necessary to push young men to extremist views
interesting that it tried to tackle how young men can become radicalised, although i think it would have been better if it explored this problem a bit deeper - how was manish pushed to these extremist views after the war? it's implied that it's through a level of ptsd - but we know emotional trauma isn't necessary to push young men to extremist views
I won't go as far as saying I think this new series is bad because I don't think it is at all. I just don't think it's really for me. Matt Smith"s era was my favourite and I just kind of miss that slightly wacky sci-fi adventures.
If you'd told me before the series that Bradley Walsh would turn out to be a proper A-tier companion I'd have laughed at you.
I'm really worried he'll only stay this one season. He's so good!
Yeah, honestly i don't think Yaz/Ryan without Graham would be nearly as good
Best episode of the series so far for me. I liked the aliens and their role in the story. Very poignant on Remembrance Sunday.
Lol and I was the same about Catherine Tate too. The only companion that I don't care much for is Martha because she was just kinda... there
Manish wasn't in the war. He stayed home whilst his older brothers went to war. His brother says Manish spends his time reading leaflets and listening to angry men on the radio so I assumed that was how he got radicalised.
Interesting that the two best episodes have featured the Doctor observing history rather than creating it. Seems to be a lesson in humility after the grandiosity of the RTD and Moffat eras.
ah yeah, fair point. i think i got confused by the scene where the doctor confronts manish and asks him about trauma - but i now realise that this line was to do with his brother dying.
Utter garbarge episode. "Good idea, poor execution" has pretty much been the theme all season, but this week they forget the good idea. Just awful structuring, reuse of the "don't take action, watch the bad thing happen".
The historical setting was interesting to learn abit about, but it really deserved better. I'd just really like to see the show with an actually good episode supporting the doc and graham.
The historical setting was interesting to learn abit about, but it really deserved better. I'd just really like to see the show with an actually good episode supporting the doc and graham.
Really liked the episode. Some really good touches here and there, and I liked how Manish's attitude sort of mirrors and is (sadly) relevant to the present day.
However - this is my problem with this series in general. If we'd had this and Rosa and then some adventure romps, it would've had balance. The problem is every episode has felt like this - the methodical pace, the TARDIS crew as less active participants... and it makes the show feel slow and dull. I was really excited as we got cool silhouettes of a new alien design and we had the Doctor using their own tech against them - but then it quickly becomes clear they're not really antagonists and that element of the story unravels. As it happens this was absolutely the right choice for this story, but it feels like it's happened so many times this series that it's a strain.
It's great drama, but modern Doctor Who has been at its best when it's been a mix of drama, soap-like character melodrama and science fiction adventures - and it feels like this has lost the sci-fi adventure show element of its identity. The flip side is, y'know, Moffat's Doctor Who often lost all drama in favour of only melodrama and sci fi romps, so it's hard to get right (all hail RTD, etc etc) - but because low-substance adventure romps are easier to land with the audience because they're inherently exciting, it can leave to this all feeling a little dry by comparison.
I love the Doctor observing history and I think it is (generally) a better way of doing historical stories, but the tone here has also carried into everything else they've done, and that's where my problem is.
However - this is my problem with this series in general. If we'd had this and Rosa and then some adventure romps, it would've had balance. The problem is every episode has felt like this - the methodical pace, the TARDIS crew as less active participants... and it makes the show feel slow and dull. I was really excited as we got cool silhouettes of a new alien design and we had the Doctor using their own tech against them - but then it quickly becomes clear they're not really antagonists and that element of the story unravels. As it happens this was absolutely the right choice for this story, but it feels like it's happened so many times this series that it's a strain.
It's great drama, but modern Doctor Who has been at its best when it's been a mix of drama, soap-like character melodrama and science fiction adventures - and it feels like this has lost the sci-fi adventure show element of its identity. The flip side is, y'know, Moffat's Doctor Who often lost all drama in favour of only melodrama and sci fi romps, so it's hard to get right (all hail RTD, etc etc) - but because low-substance adventure romps are easier to land with the audience because they're inherently exciting, it can leave to this all feeling a little dry by comparison.
I love the Doctor observing history and I think it is (generally) a better way of doing historical stories, but the tone here has also carried into everything else they've done, and that's where my problem is.
So far I'd say:
- Demons of the Punjab
- Rosa
- The Woman Who Fell To Earth
- The Tsuranga Conundrum
- Arachnids in the UK
- The Ghost Monument
He's been my favorite companion since episode one so I'm glad that others feel the same way.
It's weird because the guy has done terrific stuff in Torchwood and Broadchurch (though the second is a very different series). I really don't get why he flounders so much with this series. It's all so bland what he's done so far.
Yea I would have liked the episode more if everything wasn't so see through at this point.
- Gang dont actually do anything to help
- Everything just gets explained to them by some sort of device
- Big bang theory style humour, where the joke is the fact they are making a reference
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Probably the best episode of the season so far. I generally like how they're dealing with historicals now.
Hopefully we get more sci-fi romps as I feel this is what we've been lacking
And yes, Bradley Walsh is definitely the best companion. Lets hope The Chase and his new chat show will not interfere with Doctor Who and he'll stay around.
Hopefully we get more sci-fi romps as I feel this is what we've been lacking
And yes, Bradley Walsh is definitely the best companion. Lets hope The Chase and his new chat show will not interfere with Doctor Who and he'll stay around.
I kinda wish Bradley had a chance to be the Doctor. A+ Companion.
Thought it was a good ep overall, but I can tell people are gonna start complaining about lack of daleks and the usual rogues gallery throughout the series
Thought it was a good ep overall, but I can tell people are gonna start complaining about lack of daleks and the usual rogues gallery throughout the series
Next few episodes are non-Chibs so we're good.
Although I must emphasise that what the writer intends and what is produced is often different thanks to the wonderful collaborative effort that is television.
I like the tone of this series a lot, and having been simultaneously rewatching Nuwho (watched the Witches Familiar just before this episode) it's very refreshing.
I love this sixth episode. I was hoping for something special, and I'm not disappointed. The historicals are turning out to be some of the best ever episodes of Doctor Who.
Partition is trending on Twitter. Good that a generation is actually learning about this - I'd never heard anything about it before.
Just finished watching and, like many others here, thought it was a really good, emotional episode. Again, like Rosa, I found myself learning more about the historical side of things, and even though the whole "look, but don't interact" element was there, it's still an important thing to see when it comes to time travel stuff. I really liked the aliens, too.
Not a bad episode though I wish that it didn't pull back its punches when talking about the Partition of India as it was a very turmoil climate and millions of folks died or went missing in the aftermath, with relation between India and Pakistan becoming frosty and still is to this day.
I also felt that Yaz kinda got sideline in her own episode, the camera should have been on her and not the doctor when the guy died. I also felt that the alien ate up a lot of screen time as I felt that the Partition of India should have been the bigger focus. Of course there's only so much you can cover in a 50 minutes episode.
I was presently surprised to see the episode touch upon that Indian solders did in fact fight in the World Wars for the British Empire.
Honestly speaking, this is currently my fave episode of the new season, with the one with the giant spider being my second favorite.
Calling it now, Graham's cancer is going to return and he will end up dying in the final episode with Ryan finally calling him "Granddad."
I mean Graham stated that his cancer is in remission and there's the whole arc about Ryan reluctance to call him Granddad, despite the fact that he actually gets on with Ryan.
I also felt that Yaz kinda got sideline in her own episode, the camera should have been on her and not the doctor when the guy died. I also felt that the alien ate up a lot of screen time as I felt that the Partition of India should have been the bigger focus. Of course there's only so much you can cover in a 50 minutes episode.
I was presently surprised to see the episode touch upon that Indian solders did in fact fight in the World Wars for the British Empire.
Honestly speaking, this is currently my fave episode of the new season, with the one with the giant spider being my second favorite.
Calling it now, Graham's cancer is going to return and he will end up dying in the final episode with Ryan finally calling him "Granddad."
I mean Graham stated that his cancer is in remission and there's the whole arc about Ryan reluctance to call him Granddad, despite the fact that he actually gets on with Ryan.
I really hope Graham doesn't die because honestly...i can't see Yaz/Ryan being able to be nearly as good without Graham
I get some of the criticisms in regards to the tone, but my focus has been on what the entire theme of this first season is, and the only conclusion I can come to is that it's theme is "family". Each episode has had that as it's core theme, or at least a secondary theme to the main plot. This has in turn, led me onto speculate what could happen in future episodes, in that could we potentially see the Doctor's own mother or father down the line? I would lean towards father, simply due to the emotional connection between a daughter and father, plus there have been various soundbytes from characters in each episode that could relate to the Doctor, rather than the face value context that they are said. Also, the Timeless Child comment has stuck with me since episode 1, and perhaps that has some backstory in relation to the Doctor's parents.
Just pure speculation, but I have to believe this first season is going... Somewhere. Either way, I will be giving this entire first season a pass, since they need to find their feet. The pressure to take over this show I'm sure is immense, and I am not going to "hold them to the mark" over their first season. But next season, I will be a lot more demanding and critical of it all.
Just pure speculation, but I have to believe this first season is going... Somewhere. Either way, I will be giving this entire first season a pass, since they need to find their feet. The pressure to take over this show I'm sure is immense, and I am not going to "hold them to the mark" over their first season. But next season, I will be a lot more demanding and critical of it all.
OP
OP
Christ, that was good.
It's really weird to have an era of the show where the historicals are far and away the best aspect, but that's definitely shaping up to be the case here. Almost feels like Chibnall put the series together with an eye to making really top-notch historicals, without tweaking it for other episodes.
It's really weird to have an era of the show where the historicals are far and away the best aspect, but that's definitely shaping up to be the case here. Almost feels like Chibnall put the series together with an eye to making really top-notch historicals, without tweaking it for other episodes.
Opposite for me, I'd have laughed if someone said he wouldn't be
I've read some comments in this thread about this new series being reminiscent of the pre-2005 series.
The thing is that maybe people are right in saying that post 2005 Doctor Who became a different television series, in terms of focus on the Doctor or whatever, maybe even as "Space Jesus", but in the current series, I find it really hard to see what difference the Doctor's presence has really made (as opposed to Torchwood et al dealing with the danger etc).
That's not something, imo, that you can say about any era of Doctor Who, until CC took over.
I'm not saying that the Doctor has to save the universe, or even a planet, every episode, but the situation should be one that only the Doctor can resolve.
It's a bit like Gotham, if Gordon can deal with all of Batman's enemies then there really is no need for Batman...
The thing is that maybe people are right in saying that post 2005 Doctor Who became a different television series, in terms of focus on the Doctor or whatever, maybe even as "Space Jesus", but in the current series, I find it really hard to see what difference the Doctor's presence has really made (as opposed to Torchwood et al dealing with the danger etc).
That's not something, imo, that you can say about any era of Doctor Who, until CC took over.
I'm not saying that the Doctor has to save the universe, or even a planet, every episode, but the situation should be one that only the Doctor can resolve.
It's a bit like Gotham, if Gordon can deal with all of Batman's enemies then there really is no need for Batman...
So my mid season review so far:
The new doctor: 8/10. So far I like her. I think she's doing better with the role than any of the new doctors have in their first 1/2 season of episodes. The -2 is because I fee she's overacting a bit and hasn't fully discovered who her doctor is.
The supporting cast: 4/10. Not feeling them so far, it's really hard to imagine them being around long term. The acing is all okay, I just think overal they seems to shallowly written. I want more from all of them, but instead of learning of their past through the season, I feel like we are getting information dumps that stall out the episodes. Last weeks was the biggest offender of this. This is 100% a writing problem, as all the cast is super talented.
The music: -1000/10. Murray Gold leaving was my biggest concern this season, and my god is it worse than I could have ever imagined. The opening theme is THE WORST sounding piece of shit I've ever heard. Beating in dumpster lids would sound better than that. The doctor has no theme to her, the cast has no good theme to it, music has been all over the place from too absent, too weird or just worst actually taking away from scenes. The new composer needs to figure out what he's doing or they need to replace him. You can't go from Gold to this.
Direction and Editing: 7/10. Lots of poor editing choices, bad cuts, weird cuts or strange pacing choices all over. It's perfectly fine though as this is a new crew and honestly the whole thing is of a better quality than I'd expect out of a fresh crew working on new cameras, a tight budget and entirely fresh cast. The new cameras are doing a great job giving the show a good clean look. The special effects have been better than I could have hoped for given the budget. If I would have included the music in this section it would have been a 0/10, but I can't blame the entire production crew for the bad soundtrack.
The new doctor: 8/10. So far I like her. I think she's doing better with the role than any of the new doctors have in their first 1/2 season of episodes. The -2 is because I fee she's overacting a bit and hasn't fully discovered who her doctor is.
The supporting cast: 4/10. Not feeling them so far, it's really hard to imagine them being around long term. The acing is all okay, I just think overal they seems to shallowly written. I want more from all of them, but instead of learning of their past through the season, I feel like we are getting information dumps that stall out the episodes. Last weeks was the biggest offender of this. This is 100% a writing problem, as all the cast is super talented.
The music: -1000/10. Murray Gold leaving was my biggest concern this season, and my god is it worse than I could have ever imagined. The opening theme is THE WORST sounding piece of shit I've ever heard. Beating in dumpster lids would sound better than that. The doctor has no theme to her, the cast has no good theme to it, music has been all over the place from too absent, too weird or just worst actually taking away from scenes. The new composer needs to figure out what he's doing or they need to replace him. You can't go from Gold to this.
Direction and Editing: 7/10. Lots of poor editing choices, bad cuts, weird cuts or strange pacing choices all over. It's perfectly fine though as this is a new crew and honestly the whole thing is of a better quality than I'd expect out of a fresh crew working on new cameras, a tight budget and entirely fresh cast. The new cameras are doing a great job giving the show a good clean look. The special effects have been better than I could have hoped for given the budget. If I would have included the music in this section it would have been a 0/10, but I can't blame the entire production crew for the bad soundtrack.