Doctor Who Discussion

Doctor Who Series 11 Episode 1

Really pleased with this opener. The show really has a truly refreshing new tone and atmosphere, I feel it has a better sense of when to take itself seriously and when not to. Good first impression from Whittaker with no constant reference being drawn to the change in casting parameters.
 
Adam-M said:
Boycotted. I'm having nothing to do with this anymore, and as much as the trailers make it look like a David Tennant impression I'm sticking with Tom Baker.
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All things pit together, its a very different feeling show from any of the new post-2005 series.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
Any particular reason?
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If this comes across as a rant then I'm sorry, I'm not actually intending to offend anyone.

There's a few reasons I don't like what its become but here's a few.

1) It breaks cannon. They've messed the entire thing up since the 50th really when they came up with "the war doctor". They also removed the restrictions on the number of regenerations to cater for crappy writers which changed things as well. I still maintain that the last time her character appeared in Doctor Who he was played by a man. That was in 1986 though. He was running out of regenerations and so struck a deal with the timelords to go back in time and kill the Doctor thus earning more regenerations to not die. That could've been used really well but they just scrapped it.

2) I don't like the idea of pandering to the masses who don't actually watch it anyway. DC/Marvel do the same thing and now they're complaining that people aren't buying the comics as much, but I imagine the people asking for change aren't the ones reading them anyway. People say how the timelords are "gender-neutral" and don't really have a concept of gender because they can regenerate. The people of Galiffrey were never actually born with regeneration as an inherent trait and it was artificially created (originally reserved for the planet's leaders) so they did have a concept of gender and you got male and female timelords. Regeneration did not change gender (except once by accident in the initial testing apparently). They could've changed gender by doing it that way but instead they just scrapped everything beforehand.

3) This is just a theory but why are there three companions? It's not like there hasn't been before (with one of them being a female timelord) but look at the actors they chose. First a white female Doctor. Okay, now a male companion. Make it a black companion, that's fine. But then there are no asian people in it. So we get an asian companion, okay....make her a female so there's not too many men....but this leaves more women than men? They'll get bad press for that so have they have another male. Ah, no old people so they get an older white man. I'd be fine with either of those companions, its just the fact they had to get all of them and in my opinion to appease the Twitter masses. I doubt it'll be long until some idiot wanting to cause a ruckus declares that its racist against chinese people - things like that happen. And if it does no doubt they'll do something about it.

There were a lot of complaints about Capalidi's first outing saying he was too old and the series felt too 70's. They catered for that by taking him out of his original costume (clearly influenced by the third doctor) and putting him in a black hoodie with his sonic shades to get down with the kids. The electric guitar was a bit much.

My main problem isn't that the doctor is female, but rather that it rejects the things that came before it and implies that they never actually happened.

Again, I'm not trying to offend anyone so feel free to ignore me please. And to prevent this turning into a massive argument which I'm sure Rui and Teapot won't be happy about, I'll not respond to any replies to this message. Sorry if you're not happy with what I've said but I'll leave it here.
 
It was so average it was painful. She was great but yeah she doesn't feel original yet she feels like she nicked a lot from Smith and I can't judge Jodie yet. The plot was so generic doctor who and my worried were solidified with too many companies (and they killed the one "companion" i was starting to like. Though I guessed it miles away due to her not being in promo yet again like the master in 2017 Promo material spoils good twists. My review summarised Jodie great. Plot awful and generic too many MCs so police woman didnt get enough time. And the end was a joke. Oh and her making a screwdriver for the Sheffield steel joke fell so flat on its face I nearly died
 
Well, to elaborate on my earlier post.

Firstly you have how it looks, there's a considerable difference in filing style. A bit slower which allows you take in more of of the world (and rather pretty cinematography). The music is considerably different. More subtle and willing to build a sense of mood and atmosphere and doesn't feel the need to resort to the 'big bombastic orchestra'. There's nothing wrong with doing the latter but DW has been doing it a lot ever since it came back and I at least was becoming numb to it.

We have a 'team' of companions and yes, contemporary Earth again (though at least not in London!) but they all have distinct personality. Their characters are more developed by their relationships with each other and less about what the Doctor herself thinks of them.

The stakes were smaller in scale, hard to say if this speaks of the whole series but we di don't have the whole world/galaxy/universe In danger (or even the whole city). Its refreshing.

The Doctor herself is in post regeneration haziness so I don't quite 100% know her yet. There's some Eleven-like aloofness, some Seven-like manipulation. I don't try judge a new Doctor too much by the debut. I'm just glad there wasn't constant reference being drawn to the gender change outside the Doctor's initial realisation.

In summary, it leans more towards Drama with less emphasis on humour (though some is stull there of course) and in general it takes things more seriously than the prior formula often allowed.
 
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Adam-M said:
If this comes across as a rant then I'm sorry, I'm not actually intending to offend anyone.

There's a few reasons I don't like what its become but here's a few.

1) It breaks cannon. They've messed the entire thing up since the 50th really when they came up with "the war doctor". They also removed the restrictions on the number of regenerations to cater for crappy writers which changed things as well. I still maintain that the last time her character appeared in Doctor Who he was played by a man. That was in 1986 though. He was running out of regenerations and so struck a deal with the timelords to go back in time and kill the Doctor thus earning more regenerations to not die. That could've been used really well but they just scrapped it.
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The Valeyard was between "twelfth and FINAL regeneration" So actually they didnt break it. And he reappears in the Sixth doctors final adventure and gets a good end there
 
And breaking canon? Because Doctor Who was always so tightly knit.? The classic series broke itself plenty of times .
 
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Yeah the "12 regenerations" was meant as an off line in one story and people took it to heart.
As then they said the master used all his lives never a number.
 
I have long learned not to fuss TOO much about continuity within these decades long canons that existed before I was born. As long the show is still the show and keeps me interested. It really all depends if alterations amd inconsistencies' really change anything truly meaningful in the grand scheme.

And I'll say the same for Star Trek too.

Dragon Ball still really pushes it at times but at least it never takes itself too seriously generally
 
Mr L said:
Doctor Who Series 11 Episode 1

Really pleased with this opener. The show really has a truly refreshing new tone and atmosphere, I feel it has a better sense of when to take itself seriously and when not to. Good first impression from Whittaker with no constant reference being drawn to the change in casting parameters.
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I liked the first episode(though not the best) of the new series as well.Too early to tell from the first episode yet but I'm really liking Jodie's Doctor.
My one worry is about one of the companions Ryan in that I hope they don't fall for the "Overcoming Disability" ableist trope. So far from what I can see of him as a character is that he is good and him struggling to learn to ride a bike relateable( I still can't ride a bike) not diagnosed myself with Dyspraxia but I am Autistic.
The companions I'm really hoping to see how they turn out. Kinda sad Ryan's Grandma Grace died thought she was rather badass and would of loved to have seen her as side character.Oh well.. Really liked the new arrangement of the Doctor Who Music in the credits,interesting to see how the new opening sequence will look this coming Sunday.
 
BlazinWolf said:
I liked the first episode(though not the best) of the new series as well.Too early to tell from the first episode yet but I'm really liking Jodie's Doctor.
My one worry is about one of the companions Ryan in that I hope they don't fall for the "Overcoming Disability" ableist trope. So far from what I can see of him as a character is that he is good and him struggling to learn to ride a bike relateable( I still can't ride a bike) not diagnosed myself with Dyspraxia but I am Autistic.
The companions I'm really hoping to see how they turn out. Kinda sad Ryan's Grandma Grace died thought she was rather badass and would of loved to have seen her as side character.Oh well.. Really liked the new arrangement of the Doctor Who Music in the credits,interesting to see how the new opening sequence will look this coming Sunday.
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Same though a pity it’s not the full version with the middle eight section but I’ll lifve.
 
Mr L said:
Same though a pity it’s not the full version with the middle eight section but I’ll lifve.
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I always appreciate them. Other may prefer slideshow reconstructions or just the audii with narration but I believe that if the work eas intended as a mobbing audio visual piece then it should be presented that way. Wonder which studio did there? They've gone through so many.

It doesn't surprise me that its a Cybermen story. I'd guess we get 'Evil of the Daleks' next? Maybe 'The Dalek's Masterplan' but that will be expensive with there being nine episodes missing!
 
Mr L said:
I always appreciate them. Other may prefer slideshow reconstructions or just the audii with narration but I believe that if the work eas intended as a mobbing audio visual piece then it should be presented that way. Wonder which studio did there? They've gone through so many.

It doesn't surprise me that its a Cybermen story. I'd guess we get 'Evil of the Daleks' next? Maybe 'The Dalek's Masterplan' but that will be expensive with there being nine episodes missing!
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Macra Terror was listed on Amazon.com and swiftly removed so that’s the likely next title. Makes sense to do Wheel alongside it as Cybermen and Dalek stories do tend to be bigger sellers. Makes me glad they did Power, as it was very impressive.

Wheel is a curious choice, given that not much really happens until the Cybermen show up but any Troughton/Hines material is worth a watch, especially since it’s just them in the TARDIS crew until the end of the serial. I’m just wondering whether they recovered anymore episodes from this serial, hence only the presence of episode one as being animated.
 
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