Watching NuWho

[Willie Oleson]

does that mean you've got The Day of the Doctor next?

Yes. I mean, no because it's already happened.
I wonder if it retcons the Time War/Master story from the Christmas episode, but really, I can't keep up with the end of times, end of universes, end of Doctors, end of the Daleks. Sometimes it reminds me of Twin Peaks - The Return series, and the way it expands its universe in the most outlandish way possible.

According to wiki this 50th anniversary episode was a global event, and those who weren't watching Doctor Who (like me) had no idea!
There are some interesting Special Easter Egg Appearances, and also a surprise regeneration of the War Doctor. But what does that mean?

 

[James from London]

Yes. I mean, no because it's already happened.

Oh good. I just suddenly thought you might have accidentally skipped over it. Because it was such a big deal "stand alone" episode and sort of fell between two series, it wasn't included on any of the DVD box sets when they originally came up so I had to get it separately.

According to wiki this 50th anniversary episode was a global event, and those who weren't watching Doctor Who (like me) had no idea!

Ha! That just goes to show ... something. I guess that the things we think are a really big deal on our corner of the internet aren't necessarily a really big deal elsewhere. (It's isn't quite the same thing, but from this site you'd imagine New Dallas was hugely unpopular with most people, but whenever I see it mentioned on Twitter, the response is almost unanimously positive.)

a surprise regeneration of the War Doctor. But what does that mean?

OK, just tell me you've seen the main episode with the War Doctor, not just the one where he appears at the end?

 

[Willie Oleson]

I just suddenly thought you might have accidentally skipped over it.

The US boxsets and Prime have all the episodes, but no special features.

OK, just tell me you've seen the main episode with the War Doctor, not just the one where he appears at the end?

Yes but it kinda looked as if he was going to be the Thirteenth Doctor, and then I had this wishful thinking moment that the Eleventh Doctor wasn't going to die after all.
He does die, of course, in the Christmas episode, and those regeneration scenes always look so epic.
I wasn't in the mood to continue with the first episode of series 8, but let's not forget that people who watched it on television had six months or more to "recover", and perhaps there were spoilers in the press that made it possible to familiarise themselves with the new incarnation.
I know nothing about anything so I have to do it cold turkey.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Haven't seen the trailer, but I read an article that speculates on the aftermath of the Toymaker's words and actions.
Could be interesting if true. The Toymaker has warned of another big bad (I think it is the Black Guardian)
and there is considerable content to be explored, as a result of the Toymaker admitting to manipulating the Doctor's past.
The Doctor's memories and assumptions about his past are now uncertain, as a result.
For how long and for specific details - we will see.

 

[Willie Oleson]

It was nice to feel sorry for myself for a few days, but the show must go on. Little did I know that the kick-off of series 8 would be one of the best episodes so far, which echoes the experience of watching Knots Landing and how each subsequent season became my favourite season - up to a point, anyway.
The last parts of both the Tenth and the Eleventh Doctor dealt with the end of something big, most notably the Doctor himself, therefore it's very refreshing to see that the start of the Twelfth Doctor is all about beginnings.
While the story of DEEP BREATH doesn't address the issue of the new regeneration cycle specifically, it makes perfect sense that this new Doctor is in a state of confusion after being thrown up by a dinosaur. Talk about entrances.
I don't know if the DW fans are going to agree with me, but to me it kinda looks like the second revival.

And yet it's companion Clara who takes centre stage as she becomes the voice of the viewers, and she's never been better.
The writing is mature and clever, the balance of horror and humour is impeccable and the episode also looks great. "I'm a Scot, I can complain!"
Madame Vestra and Jenny are almost like a Holmes & Watson spin-off within Doctor Who but I've always liked them, especially Strax.
Sidekicks can be the most dangerous characters. The good ones don't necessarily improve the story, but the bad ones can ruin everything - looking at you, Disney.
Strax' genetically murderous intents and brutal insults always put a smile on my face, and I hope it stays that way.

The episode is a full-length feature (or a continuous broadcast of a two-part episode) and it's not surprising that these are often the best ones because there's always so much to do and to say.
I guess it would be too optimistic to think that all Twelfth Doctor episodes are going to be as good as this one, but overall I'm very optimistic about it.
And because he seems so different from the younger Doctors it will also prepare me for the older Doctors in the classic WHO series (it makes me nervous and excited just thinking about it).

 

[James from London]

it's companion Clara who takes centre stage as she becomes the voice of the viewers, and she's never been better.

Yes, there's something quite special about the companions who straddle the incarnations of two Doctors: Ben and Polly in the '60s, Sarah Jane in the '70s, let's just skip over the '80s, Rose in the '00s and Clara in the '10s.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Yes, there's something quite special about the companions who straddle the incarnations of two Doctors: Ben and Polly in the '60s, Sarah Jane in the '70s, let's just skip over the '80s, Rose in the '00s and Clara in the '10s.

Actually, I liked the changeover from Peter Davison to Colin Baker, and Peri's amazement at what she saw, and having to deal with the Doctor's erratic behavior.
Peri didn't know that the Doctor could regenerate, unlike the Brigadiere, Sarah (she had seen the other Time Lord regenerate and the Brigadiere mentioned it, and I believe the Doctor said so as well), Adric and Nyssa knew of Regeneration.
The Twin Dilemma wasn't the greatest story, but the novelization was quite different, and had more detail, and the characters had more depth. It is a good read.

 

[darkshadows38]

did you see they are making a f.. musical episode? WHY? for some shows yeah i can see it work The Flash is one of them but not doctor who i'm sorry it's an awful idea

 

[Willie Oleson]

let's just skip over the '80s

Ex-plain! Ex-PLAIN!

Well, this new Doctor will take some getting used to, but considering everything he's been through and everything he's seen - not to mention the impending doom of Trenzalore - the somewhat bitter and uncompromising attitude makes sense.

The repair of the (unintentional) Trojan horse Dalek and Robin Hood of the alien forest stories are very entertaining but it's almost in spite of the Doctor.
I'm a little confused and it doesn't help that I have no reference to the classic Doctors, therefore it's also possible that the first three 21th century Doctors were too heroic and too loveable.

I'm very curious to see if or how it will affect his three years in the series, like I said before it feels like a whole new chapter which is exciting, but that doesn't change the fact that the Doctor himself plays a big part in the entertainment.
I know I shouldn't be asking for sweetie spoilers but does anyone have (or had) an opinion about it?

Isn't Missy's heaven the place where Amelia Pond, in her alternative life stream, was battling the Kindness robots?

 

[James from London]

Ex-plain! Ex-PLAIN!

Most things about '80s Who didn't work for me, not least the casting of the companions. You'll see for yourself when you get there. Or maybe you'll just absolutely love it!

I'm a little confused and it doesn't help that I have no reference to the classic Doctors, therefore it's also possible that the first three 21th century Doctors were too heroic and too loveable.

That's interesting. I guess the first three new Doctors, being younger and more conventionally handsome, are closer to the "romantic action hero" archetype of modern fiction than most of the previous Doctors -- which is probably the only way a contemporary audience would have accepted them: most people on TV are younger and sexier in the 21st century than they used to be. Another example is Blue Peter, a BBC children's magazine show which has been running almost as long as Who. In the '60s and '70s, the presenters were older and felt like friendly uncles and aunties. Then, somewhere around the 90s, they became younger and cuter like someone you'd fantasise about copping off with at the bus stop. I think the classic Doctors, due in large part to their age and class (they mostly spoke with posh BBC accents), all came across like teachers (albeit all very different kinds of teachers) rather than pretty boys you'd secretly fall in love with.

I know I shouldn't be asking for sweetie spoilers but does anyone have (or had) an opinion about it?

I feel like there's something quite experimental about the Twelfth Doctor's tenure. Matt Smith's Doctor had a very soulful quality. Aside from being the most believably alien of the modern Docs, he had a genuine sweetness and kindness about him, and the Twelfth Doctor feels like a reaction against that: how far he can travel from what he was before while still fundamentally remaining the Doctor? It's a fascinating journey.

Isn't Missy's heaven the place where Amelia Pond, in her alternative life stream, was battling the Kindness robots?

I must have taken one of those amnesia pills they were so fond of in Torchwood because I have no idea what any of that means.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Or maybe you'll just absolutely love it!

Well there is the Caress in space.

which is probably the only way a contemporary audience would have accepted them: most people on TV are younger and sexier in the 21st century than they used to be.

Makes perfect sense, and perhaps my reaction would have been equally confused if they had started the revival series with Peter Capaldi, and then going younger.

and the Twelfth Doctor feels like a reaction against that: how far he can travel from what he was before while still fundamentally remaining the Doctor?

Maybe I should keep score of all the times he slams the Tardis door in someone's face (actually, I want to see that).

I have no idea what any of that means.

I mean that The Promised Land reminds me of planet Apalapucia, when Amy chose the wrong door and grew older faster etc etc.

I'm going back tonight because there's still so much to discover.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Maybe I should keep score of all the times he slams the Tardis door in someone's face

Ha! He said (I think to Danny Pink) "I want you to get out my Tardis!" How very Blake Carrington of him.

I just watched the penultimate pinocchio episode and I've got to say that series 8 is a very ballsy and unapologetic chapter in the Whoniverse saga.
I'm really loving this Doctor now, he reminds me of a rude and dismissive detective.
He doesn't hesitate to sacrifice other people for the greater good and thankfully he doesn't show any remorse. I mean, if you decide to this or that particular way then it's better to do it consistently.

This might be the best series for a companion because Clara is being seriously tested. Without that strong sense of friendship, and sometimes semi-romantic feelings, she needs to make much more effort to be there. It's certainly not for the nice compliments because all she gets is insults.
Not that any of this is overlooked because halfway series 8 she decides that she can't do it anymore, and one episode even ends with a big argument.
It is therefore strange that the relationship between this Doctor and this companion looks stronger than ever.
Danny Pink has died but after Rory Williams' many deaths I don't believe it anymore (but what if I'm wrong. that would be a shocker).

Before Jodie Whittaker takes over as the Thirteenth Doctor we get a female version of The Master who sticks her tongue in the Doctor's mouth. It's just one shock after another.

The moon lays an egg, that is just so incredibly stupid. What were they thinking?

 

[James from London]

The moon lays an egg, that is just so incredibly stupid. What were they thinking?

That whole episode is completely nuts. I really like it, mostly because of the characters. By and large, if I can believe in the characters, I’ll pretty much go along with whatever’s happening around them. The moon’s an egg this week? Okay, the moon’s an egg this week.

one episode even ends with a big argument.

Yeah that’s at the end of the the moon’s an egg this week episode and it’s maybe one of my favourite scenes in all of Who. It just feels so blisteringly real, which is just bizarre considering how insanely off the wall the events leading up to it have been.

This might be the best series for a companion because Clara is being seriously tested. Without that strong sense of friendship, and sometimes semi-romantic feelings, she needs to make much more effort to be there.

Absolutely. I think what I meant before when I was talking about what’s special about the companions who straddle two Doctors (so to speak) is that they suddenly have to negotiate traveling in the Tardis with a complete stranger, which is a situation they didn’t sign up for, and so the story becomes about them rather than the Doctor, if only briefly. This shift isn’t explored in a great amount of detail in the 60s and 70s, but it’s there nonetheless. But nowhere is it explored more fully and fascinatingly than with Clara.

It is therefore strange that the relationship between this Doctor and this companion looks stronger than ever.

Yeah it just feels really … real.

 

[Willie Oleson]

If the series 8 finale isn't the best finale then at least it's the most beautiful one, although I must confess that my memory of the previous series starts to fade.
But maybe that only proves that the series continues to be strong, maybe I should order the Thirteenth Doctor dvd set...oops, too late. I've thought about and now I can't un-think it anymore.

The Master is such a fantastic and complex villain, diabolically evil but with a very tragic undertone.
Even though the episode has plenty of spectacle, I felt the overall storyline is much more about character drama, and without pulling at the heartstrings too hard (as they sometimes did with Donna Noble). It's got all these lovely surprises like the young boy from the war zone coming back from the afterlife.

I was hesitant about watching the 2014 Christmas special (is it really that long ago?) because I feared it would spoil the pleasant aftertaste of the series finale.
Happily, nothing could be further from the truth. It's dreamy and eerie and tricky, and sometimes a bit Twin Peaksy.
It's very easy for a Santa Claus character to completely ruin a Christmas movie but he's pretty harmless in this one. There are contemporary jokes that made me laugh, like the comment on the toys that are considered dangerous because children can put pieces of it in their mouths.
The very last part even made me feel a little nervous because it looked like it could end on a cliffhanger. And what a very silly thought because the next episode is only a mouse click away.

 

[Willie Oleson]

For the first time ever I'm going to rank the series. Everybody else on the internet is doing it so I don't have an excuse to stay behind.
From best to least-best (there aren't any bad ones).

1. Deep Breath (1)
It's a toss-up between the first and last episode, but because I'm still emotionally reeling from the last one I think that gives it an unfair advantage.

2. Death In Heaven (12)
Like I said it's terrifice and that opinion is never going to change. Perhaps I should adopt James' opinion-expiration-date theory but I don't have to worry about that right now.

3. Last Christmas (special, and timey-wimey closer to series 8 than to series 9. And it's also the way Prime does it).

4. Flatline (9)
I love crazy stories about dimensions and it's also the kind of funny-but-oh-so-creepy stuff I would except to see in a 1970s episode of Doctor Who. Whether that's going to happen or not remains to be seen, of course.

Lately I have been wondering if I'm going to recognise the scenes from a 1970s episode I've watched together with my brother. I didn't really understand what I was watching but I felt there was something about it, and that feeling has always stayed with me.
It's such a vivid memory, I can see myself sitting on the couch watching the television, and it was something about a character (possibly the Doctor) walking around and examinating some kind of object, maybe a big glass ball with something in it.
But maybe that's just the distorted remains of that memory.

5. Dark Water (11)
Yet another episode that highlights what a terrific companion Clara is. That blackmail scene with the keys is just so very tense and audacious and both ugly and beautiful.
Sometimes series 8 feels like what TNT Dallas was to DALLAS.

6. Into The Dalek (2)
Because every great Dalek story is winner to me. It's impressive to see how they keep finding new angles to re-introduce the iconic villains.

7, Kill The Moon (7)
Regardless of the preposterous conclusion I still like the horror spiders even if they weren't spiders, and that unexpectedly grim and emotional ending (à la John Ross and Sue Ellen's famous kitchen scene) gives it the edge over the next rated episodes.

8. Mummy On The Orient Express (8)
They must have felt very smart about themselves when they came up with this title - and rightfully so - and the entertainment is as non-stop as the space train itself.
The disinterested attitude towards the death of various passengers provides the black comedy.

9. Robot Of Sherwood (3)
I always like it when they visit historical and mythical characters, and it has a good villain with an equally dastardly plan.
I particularly like the moment when the Doctor, determined to prove that Robin is a fraud, confronts Robin with the future results of that very fairy tale.

It was a nasty thing to do and I felt sorry for the handsome guest star hero.

10. In The Forest Of The Night (10)
Yes, it's a bit soft and wholesome, but I don't mind that the series does something kids-friendly every now and then. And I must say I really enjoyed the child actors in this episode.
At some point Clara (or Danny) says to one of the school kids "you're just imagining things" (as opposed to...a spontaneous global mega forest? So funny that they always try be logical in the most absurd situations).
But anyway, the child responds with "that's not possible because I don't have any imagination".
The miraculous return of missing sister Abigail was a bit too schmaltzy for my taste, it would have been better to let that part of the story linger on, no matter how dark it is. Or end it with a last second twist, only for the viewers, that Abigail is now an evil alien.

11. Time Heist (5)
I find it a very beautiful and intriguing story, but the combination of complexity and standard episode running time leaves something to be desired. Two characters who died had survived, and they mentioned how (in just three or four words) and I just didn't understand it.
And there's no time to try to digest it because the next thing that happens requires all my attention.
Had it been a two-parter (and perferably less plot-holey) then maybe it could have been as great as David Tennant's magnificent "Library" story.

12. The Caretaker (6)
Comical fluff with a not too exciting threat. But it was nice to create some time for Clara and Danny, and that also had to be part of the series.

13. Listen (4)
I found it almost instantly forgettable, but I think there was something in it about the Doctor as a child, and I don't really need to know everything about all the origins. He's a time traveller in a blue police box, that's it. I feel the origins stuff works better for the Master.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

did you see they are making a f.. musical episode? WHY? for some shows yeah i can see it work The Flash is one of them but not doctor who i'm sorry it's an awful idea

I have a suspicion that Disney is more involved in decision making than is being reported. Given Disney's recent history of inconsistency (at best),
it makes me cautious, although, in fairness, RTD and co have restored much of the show's respectability after the dismal Chibnall?whitaker fiasco

 

[darkshadows38]

i would not be surprised at all if Disney did push that

 

[Willie Oleson]

What does Disney have to do with Doctor Who?

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Yes. I mean, no because it's already happened.
I wonder if it retcons the Time War/Master story from the Christmas episode, but really, I can't keep up with the end of times, end of universes, end of Doctors, end of the Daleks. Sometimes it reminds me of Twin Peaks - The Return series, and the way it expands its universe in the most outlandish way possible.

According to wiki this 50th anniversary episode was a global event, and those who weren't watching Doctor Who (like me) had no idea!
There are some interesting Special Easter Egg Appearances, and also a surprise regeneration of the War Doctor. But what does that mean?

Never cared for the War Doctor idea.
All due respect to John Hurt, but the whole involvement of an unknown doctor didn't work for me.,
and Hurt's role seemed contrived.
Paul McGann should have had a major role in 50, especially if Eccleston was not returning.
On a side note.
If the Doctor can regenerate into male or female, why did he regenerate into a male in an all-female environment on Karn?

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

What does Disney have to do with Doctor Who?

Disney is involved in producing Doctor Who now. It will be aired on Disney Plus.