Doctor Who

[Lagie]

Ooh, nice idea! December 1st is the release date for the Doctor Who Lego if you want to try that as well! (Can't wait!!!)

[zaverxi]

Yeah, it was kind of stupid on her part. The Doctor did keep pointing out that Clara was reckless and enjoyed taking risks too much. He could get away with it because, as he said, he's less breakable, and I think able to put a hell of a lot more thought into his actions beforehand.

 

It was really never going end any other way for her, imo. Even if the Doctor had left Clara behind for her own safety like he tried to with Amy and Rory, she'd have gotten into this kind of trouble without him.

Clara's death was just as pointless as Adric's. He died because he stayed on the ship that was supposed to crash into the earth and kill the dinosaurs bring about the dawn of humanity etc when he didn't have to, she died because she was stupid and took the chronolock without knowing anything about it. So I wonder who'll be next? River Song is appearing in the Christmas special, there's all sorts of timey wimey nonsense with her. We've seen her die, we've seen her meet the Doctor for the first time, but she's hinted she met several different incarnations of the Doctor anyway. And the Doctor himself mentioned something about getting in a fight with her and going to hang out with otters.

 

Of course, someone new might be great too.

[Raistlin24]

Ooh, nice idea!  December 1st is the release date for the Doctor Who Lego if you want to try that as well! (Can't wait!!!)

I want this! I only need to convince my family that a 60 € toy is a great Christmas present even if I'm not a child anymore

 

 

I like Clara, but her dieing is the best end for the character. Finding a good reason for her to leave the TARDIS would have been very difficult in just two episodes. The only other realistic possibility would have been the Doctor leaving her for her own safety. The writers wrote the character in a way that she didn't have a good reason to quit travelling, especially seeing as she already had an everyday life that wasn't hindering her hobby.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Raistlin24

[Kestra15]

What an intense episode...

[Lagie]

Very. (Almost fell asleep again. Not the episode's fault this time, though, unlike last week.)

 

@Raistlin - Why convince them? Lego's an adult toy, too!

[AlexisV]

Brilliant episode. Not perfect, but a super unique concept done very well. And just like last epsiode, the stage is set but I have literally no idea what's going to happen next. That's a good cliffhanger, IMO.

 

I'm... finding it interesting the kind of tension the show has now with morally unstable Doctor. I can't say I actually enjoy it; it's genuinely a bit frightening, but it's made things way less predictable which is something the show does need. if you'd taken the 10th or 11th Doctors and put them in this same situation, you'd pretty much know that they might stand right at the edge of crossing the line and burning their enemies out of vengeance and spite, but wouldn't do it. But the 12th Doctor seems, well, not so much willing to cross lines between being a good man and not, as having trouble figuring out where exactly they are. (Still, gotta say I really like this Doctor )

 

I wonder if the point behind all the alien hybrids that've shown up this year is that the Doctor isn't necessarily who the prophecy was referring to?

 

Purely for cool dialogue, I did like the sort-of-reference in the line "The Timelords could sense (the timewar) coming, like a storm in the air" The Oncoming Storm was really one of 9's names but it suits 12 really, really well.

[Quinney]

Well, unfortunately this is one of those times when I've watched it and turned to hubs to ask what the heck's going on and got a shrug and a 'No idea' from him.

 

As he says, it's supposed to be a children's programme (although putting the time back makes you wonder now) and we couldn't understand it.

 

And now he's talking of Galifrey - well, I'm sorry but his home planet was destroyed many, many years ago, which is why he is a travelling timelord, he couldn't go home.

 

I wish Moffat would do one and go and write his own damn show and stop rewriting Dr. Who.

 

I wasn't bothered when Clara died either. Still think she'll come back and haunt us!

 

 

Very disappointed.

 

Rant over!

 

 

[Kestra15]

And now he's talking of Galifrey - well, I'm sorry but his home planet was destroyed many, many years ago, which is why he is a travelling timelord, he couldn't go home.

But that's the point of the 50th celebration - it wasn't destroyed. It was locked into it's own private dimension outside of the universe, and the Doctor took it upon himself to one day find it again. Hence why he was able to regeneration after his Eleventh incarnation - the Time Lords used the crack to their pocket dimension to gift him further regenerations - and the whole point of what the name of the Doctor is - it's the key for the Time Lords to come back into this universe.

 

The other point is that the show is over fifty years old - there will be things that are changed as the years go along. The fact that the main character himself can change every few years highlights that the show, at it's very core, is adaptable and changeable. Time can be rewritten. Even in-universe that's the point. Even if they tried their hardest, mistakes are made. Star Trek writers would bend over backwards to try and keep fifty-six years of history accurate, but with over seven hundred episodes and ten movies it was nigh-on impossible, and mistakes would be consistently made. In fact, trying to keep everything 'correct' often made the episodes *worse.*

 

I am a massive continuity geek (being, at heart, a Star Trek fan above all others). I absolutely love to see old references, internal consistencies and call-backs. And Steven Moffatt is the best writer at managing those. But he and every other writer and show-runner has accepted that it is impossible to keep everything straight. It's a show about time-travel! Of course everything changes, consistently. So they accept some core tenants (the Doctor's regeneration limits, his companions and the order they arrive in his life, fixed points, still points, the Time War, animosity between the Doctor and several key races) and then the rest is adapted as the episodes continue. If I kept to my continuity geek every time I watched an episode, I would explode - the key is to accept each story on it's merits.

 

The 'old' Doctor Who was terrible for consistency, and even within the same serial there would be errors. 'NuWho' has done a brilliant job and having a constant time-line, some fixed rules all writers have to adhere to, a show-runner who makes sure those little kinks and breaks are acceptable and can be even vaguely explained away (wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey), but then leaves it free to the writers to create and enjoy the stories.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Kestra15

[zaverxi]

But that's the point of the 50th celebration - it wasn't destroyed. It was locked into it's own private dimension outside of the universe, and the Doctor took it upon himself to one day find it again. Hence why he was able to regeneration after his Eleventh incarnation - the Time Lords used the crack to their pocket dimension to gift him further regenerations - and the whole point of what the name of the Doctor is - it's the key for the Time Lords to come back into this universe.

 

The other point is that the show is over fifty years old - there will be things that are changed as the years go along. The fact that the main character himself can change every few years highlights that the show, at it's very core, is adaptable and changeable. Time can be rewritten. Even in-universe that's the point. Even if they tried their hardest, mistakes are made. Star Trek writers would bend over backwards to try and keep fifty-six years of history accurate, but with over seven hundred episodes and ten movies it was nigh-on impossible, and mistakes would be consistently made. In fact, trying to keep everything 'correct' often made the episodes *worse.*

 

I am a massive continuity geek (being, at heart, a Star Trek fan above all others). I absolutely love to see old references, internal consistencies and call-backs. And Steven Moffatt is the best writer at managing those. But he and every other writer and show-runner has accepted that it is impossible to keep everything straight. It's a show about time-travel! Of course everything changes, consistently. So they accept some core tenants (the Doctor's regeneration limits, his companions and the order they arrive in his life, fixed points, still points, the Time War, animosity between the Doctor and several key races) and then the rest is adapted as the episodes continue. If I kept to my continuity geek every time I watched an episode, I would explode - the key is to accept each story on it's merits.

 

The 'old' Doctor Who was terrible for consistency, and even within the same serial there would be errors. 'NuWho' has done a brilliant job and having a constant time-line, some fixed rules all writers have to adhere to, a show-runner who makes sure those little kinks and breaks are acceptable and can be even vaguely explained away (wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey), but then leaves it free to the writers to create and enjoy the stories.

They're at least trying to keep continuity with the new series. I did notice they dropped the ball a bit with the issue about River Song and stuff, but overall not bad at all.

 

That last bit of next week's sneak peek tho

 

Since he's obviously not going to regenerate, do you think it's going to be like when the 5th Doctor was 'killed' with the whole Omega thing and be fake, or would it be more like the 10th Doctor's regenerating into the same face?

 

As for the Hybrid thing, I think it's more of a figurative thing, not literal. 10th Doctor made it clearly evident that he is a pure Time Lord and nothing else, even though that TV movie they made in the 90s tried saying he was half human, which everyone in the fandom promptly ignored.

[Raistlin24]

About the hybrid, he may not even be talking about himself. He says 'me', but it could also be 'Me'. She is referred to as a hybrid and a possible tidal wave when he makes her immortal.

 

I hope they explain where Gallifrey is, because (spoilers for the next week's sneak peek) the Sisterhood of Karn managed to get there too, so it must be possible to reach the planet in a more normal way than the Doctor's.

[Quinney]

Well, I'm sorry guys but I think it's sacrilege.

 

Whether time can be re-written or not, I don't think Moffat should consider himself important enough to take it upon himself to re-write the history of Dr. Who, no matter how flawed it seems in the 21st century.

 

We never had this problem when I was growing up watching it. It was simple in those days. Moffat's just a megalomaniac with a pen as far as I'm concerned.

 

I understand and accept that I'm in a minority but I bet people around 60 years of age would agree with me.

 

I'll just see what happens on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Raistlin24]

Whether time can be re-written or not, I don't think Moffat should consider himself important enough to take it upon himself to re-write the history of Dr. Who, no matter how flawed it seems in the 21st century.

Both Gallifrey being destroyed in the Time War and then not being destroyed after all are 21st century ideas. Or are you talking about something different?

 

As much as I prefer that shows keep continuity, it would be very difficult for a show about time travel to last long enough without any flaws in that area.

 

 

This might be a strange question, but did the first Doctor who arrived at the castle run around naked? The rooms reset themselves, but how could the mysterious castle owner have known that the Doctor was going to jump from the window and therefore need dry clothes? Also, those clothes were next to a fire, so I suppose that they were originally wet.

[AlexisV]

Thanks very much to those who've labeled the next-episode spoilers as such.

 

This might be a strange question, but did the first Doctor who arrived at the castle run around naked? The rooms reset themselves, but how could the mysterious castle owner have known that the Doctor was going to jump from the window and therefore need dry clothes? Also, those clothes were next to a fire, so I suppose that they were originally wet.

*snicker*

 

The rules of what could and couldn't stay constant inside the confession dial seemed to be kind of flexible. Some things inside rooms would revert back to their original state (like the hole in the garden) and other things wouldn't.

 

But... the world must have had a psychic link with the Doctor, in order to know how to scare him best, and to record the confessions. So it seems to have been at least partly built around things he expected to be there ...?

 

Or... maybe things from inside the world of the dial itself would revert, but matter brough through from the teleport wouldn't? (which would explain the clothes and the skulls) I keep thinking the reason the Doctor had to break through the wall by hand had something to do with this.

 

I dunno... This is probably the most abstract thing I've ever tried to wrap my head around, and I do abstract thought for fun.

 

So, I guess... yes?

Edited December 1, 2015 by AlexisV

[Naughtrish]

I only have one word for the last episode. BLEURGH.

[Quinney]

I only have one word for the last episode. BLEURGH.

The only good thing to come out of this whole all-too-complicated scenario was when the Doctor actually ended up with a new sonic screwdriver. I've said all along that no doctor should be without one of those.

 

We'll have to see how the next series goes, whether it's worth watching or not.

[Kestra15]

Loved it.

[rubyshoes]

Loved it.

So did I. I like shows that leave me with a happy/upbeat feeling when the episode is over and this episode ended on a high note for me and I enjoyed it.

[zaverxi]

So.... instead of dead... undead?

 

Also it seems like Doctor Who is gearing up to eventually get a female Doctor in the near future. First there was Missy, but that was off-camera and kind of just testing the waters, but this time we had a somewhat-important character regenerate on-screen from male to female and no one was really surprised so it's probably common enough in Gallifreyan society.

 

I dunno. I could dig a female Doctor. It'd definitely make all the billions of female cosplayers of Doctor Who happy enough.

 

So long as the Doctor doesn't suddenly become weak and helpless and needing a strong male character to do everything, I hate those kinds of characters. Strong female Doctor plz

Edited December 8, 2015 by zaverxi

[AlexisV]

Loved it.

Me too, I thought it was the best finale since Bad Wolf. I hope in the best way that Clara's story ends here, because that was the best send off she could possibly have had. Ashielda too, her having a TARDIS by herself isn't the greatest idea, but with Clara to watch out for her I don't think the universe has too much to worry about.

 

Kind of missed the actor that played Rassilon in The End of Time. (though I can understand casting differently this time. I'd always imagined the Doctor coming back home to Gallifrey and facing off with Rassilon would be a full episode of fire-spitting scenery-eating High Drama, but what happened instead was really just perfect.)

 

Loved the stories built out of small moments in this episode; when the woman found the Doctor in the old barn on Gallifrey (Could she have been the woman from the end of Listen? The Doctor's mother? We're left to speculate.) the Doctor's story of talking to the Cloister Wraiths as a kid, Ashielda watching stars burn out at the end of the universe, the Doctor hitchiking across the world with just his guitar, trying to find the TARDIS (despite the fact that he probably could have got UNIT to locate it or at least provide transport.)

 

And I like the new sonic

 

So.... instead of dead... undead?

 

Also it seems like Doctor Who is gearing up to eventually get a female Doctor in the near future. First there was Missy, but that was off-camera and kind of just testing the waters, but this time we had a somewhat-important character regenerate on-screen from male to female and no one was really surprised so it's probably common enough in Gallifreyan society.

I hope we see more of her, too. She seemed like such a cool character.

I dunno. I could dig a female Doctor. It'd definitely make all the billions of female cosplayers of Doctor Who happy enough.

 

So long as the Doctor doesn't suddenly become weak and helpless and needing a strong male character to do everything, I hate those kinds of characters. Strong female Doctor plz

Honestly I wasn't that big on the idea of a female Doctor at first, but seeing how well they did with the Missy (who I absolutely adore) and a few fantasy casting ideas floating around, I think it could be awesome.

 

It would be difficult to do without messing up the role dynamic, (and that's really what I worry most about) but there's no reason they'd have to have a male companion, and I think a dynamic enough female character could make the role work. Heck, you can't argue that the 12th Doctor isn't a strong character, but at the same time really needs someone to watch out for him.

 

 

Long post... to bed!

[The_Impossible_Girl]

So long as the Doctor doesn't suddenly become weak and helpless and needing a strong male character to do everything, I hate those kinds of characters. Strong female Doctor plz

I'm with you 100% on that zaverxi.

[Lagie]

"He's never noticed before."

 

I'm enjoying this episode!

(And the credits were cool.)

[zaverxi]

I nearly died laughing so many times for this one. I actually had to pause it a few times to have a laughing fit oh my lord.

 

And then the end when we all know goes straight back to Silence In The Library.... and the Doctor remembering that's where she ended up back when he was 10th and meeting her for the first time...

 

Also there's official news that says 10th season of Doctor Who is going to be Capaldi's last, so time to start speculating WHO'll be the next Doctor.

 

 

*shot*

[HawktalonOfRiverClan]

I know I never post here but this episode just. *squee* I love River, but her relationship with the Doctor always felt… forced to me, on the Doctor's part, at least. Like he only fell for her because he knew he had to, and didn't really think of her as anything more than a close friend. Maybe that was just the way Matt Smith played it, IDK. But this episode was a great ending for both their relationship and River Song herself. I always felt like they shouldn't have brought her back in The Name of the Doctor and that she deserved a stronger ending than that, and this episode did it.

 

I also loved how River spent the first half completely oblivious of the Doctor and the Doctor playing the companion, oh my gosh I laughed so hard. River's "I am an archeologist" speech was really neat too, because it mirrors one of the Doctor's speeches from… somewhere. It was cool how they played off the whole role reversal theme, and then made them equal in the end.

 

Oh why did you have to give her the screwdriver. *sobs forever* 24 years of happiness though… I can live with that ending.

 

Also there's official news that says 10th season of Doctor Who is going to be Capaldi's last, so time to start speculating WHO'll be the next Doctor.

 

 

*shot*

 

Really? Aww, just when I was starting to like his Doctor. Kind of crossing my fingers for a female Doctor… now that would be really interesting to see. I feel like that would make the entire fanbase go up in arms though. D:

Edited December 26, 2015 by HawktalonOfRiverClan

[AlexisV]

My all-time favorite actress and actor ever, what could be more awesome? And the sonic from Silence in the Library is officially River's now instead of just one she borrowed from the Doctor, I like that.

 

Also there's official news that says 10th season of Doctor Who is going to be Capaldi's last, so time to start speculating WHO'll be the next Doctor.

 

 

*shot*

Oh... gods, already?

 

Capaldi's had a fantastic season this year though, Face the Raven/ Heaven Sent / Hell Bent has to be the best multi-episode story ever. Here's hoping season 10 is just as good!

[Quinney]

It was okay I guess.

 

Riversong always did get on my nerves though.

 

The possibility of another doctor on the horizon. Pffft. It seems like actors just want to say they've played him and take off these days.

 

The good old ones used to hang around for a few years and actually play him properly.

 

I think I'm getting too old...