Doctor Who, Jodie Edition
- Thread starter Trunkage
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So, I felt that the Witchfinders was a pretty mediocre episode at best, but Alan Cummings as James I made it for me.
I honestly love that the Twitter reaction is all like "lol, they made him a super extra gay, this is awesome!" No honey, that's a historically accurate depiction of James I..
I honestly love that the Twitter reaction is all like "lol, they made him a super extra gay, this is awesome!" No honey, that's a historically accurate depiction of James I..
I wouldn't say that's a weird complaint. I think one of the better moments in "Nu Who" was towards the end of The Doctor Dances, where the Doctor realizes that for once there's a possibility of a truly happy ending without casualties. There's a desperate hopefulness to the scene, emphasized by the plea to the universe during the climax and punctuated by the Doctor's sheer joy that everybody lived through the adventure. It's a powerful moment that simply could not meaningfully exist if such an outcome was the rule instead of the exception. And that's how I think it should be. Being able to save everyone should feel like an incredible victory, a perfect game, something that you constantly hope for but that only happens when the stars align. So I certainly don't think it's weird to miss people dying in Doctor Who. Death has to be common to make it feel special on the [ideally] rare times when the Doctor can actually pull off a full save.evilthecat said:
Yes, Cummings stole pretty much every scene he was in. Not sure how accurate it was but Jimmy boy was a very very strange person by all accounts so as far as I'm concerned it was 100% historical.evilthecat said:
Also, liked the claymationy style to the mud monsters. Reminded me a bit of the Boneless from Flatline
That moment you described, with Eccleston, totally made me a, appreciate him as a Doctor, and b, resonated with me for this exact reason- to be able to save everyone was supposed to be so rare but always strived for.Asita said:
Oh, and c - That was when I really got on board with the Nu Who. I'm kinda out of it now - I'm not really in a place to comment on anything post Matt Smith, sadly, but I hope everyone is enjoying it.
I didn't really see it as desperation. I saw it as the Doctor's heart growing three sizes that day. To this point, it had been intended that Eccleston had been the regeneration to end the Time War (and would be as such until they had to cast John Hurt). This was a character who had committed genocide and just recently, and so he'd been behaving like someone who is dealing with trauma. We see it with the Nestine in the first episode as almost paralysis, depression in the third, and anger in Dalek. And he sees hope and just for a scene or two, we see him come to life again. While it is a retcon, we see this with the War Doctor as well; he never truly stops being the Doctor, even though he has grown tired of a war to the point of killing everyone.Asita said:
"Everybody lives" applies to the Doctor, as well. Least, in my opinion.
On the overall point, I guess I sort of agree. Doctore Who was overusing the hell out of certain tropes, and this was one of them. Like the Daleks, I needed a break but wanted it back. My only problem with the recent return is my prior complaint revisted...tonal issues. Jodie and the tone of the episodes often seem at odds. It's like putting Daffy Duck into Schindler's List or something. People dying around her, that kind of episode, seemed more appropriate with Nine or Ten. Twelve, too.
I don't know, it's just weird seeing someone so irrepressible in these scenarios.
I was not trying to say that he was experiencing desperation, but desperate hope as in "desperately wanting something". Synonyms veered closer to frantically, severely, and excitedly than anything else. "Is this actually happening? Please tell me that this is happening!", as it were.Something Amyss said:
I think it is sad that one of the few good male role models on British TV became a woman. Most guys on British TV tend to be thugs, morons, and see violence as the first option.
As to the casting itself. Jodie Whittaker is a great actress and certainly had the chops to pull of the role. Unlike others I really enjoyed the first episode, I thought Jodie pulled off the confused regeneration period really well and I thought she wore Capaldi's costume far better than he ever did. But the show seems determined to sabotage her. Her Doctor has become more childish as the series has gone on and her costume looks like a cross between something that should be worn on Rainbow and another famous alien, Mork from Ork.
It is as if the BBC deliberately are making this series badly. I can't believe that any of the higher ups, no matter their political leanings, looked at this season and thought "yep, this'll be a ratings winner."
Perhaps the most annoying thing for me is how much this current season of Doctor Who feels like The Sarah Jane Adventures. Now that isn't a terrible thing as the SJA was a brilliant show but it had its own style and feel to Doctor Who, even when the Doctor appeared in it. I want Doctor Who to feel like I'm watching Doctor Who and at the moment I just don't.
As to the casting itself. Jodie Whittaker is a great actress and certainly had the chops to pull of the role. Unlike others I really enjoyed the first episode, I thought Jodie pulled off the confused regeneration period really well and I thought she wore Capaldi's costume far better than he ever did. But the show seems determined to sabotage her. Her Doctor has become more childish as the series has gone on and her costume looks like a cross between something that should be worn on Rainbow and another famous alien, Mork from Ork.
It is as if the BBC deliberately are making this series badly. I can't believe that any of the higher ups, no matter their political leanings, looked at this season and thought "yep, this'll be a ratings winner."
Perhaps the most annoying thing for me is how much this current season of Doctor Who feels like The Sarah Jane Adventures. Now that isn't a terrible thing as the SJA was a brilliant show but it had its own style and feel to Doctor Who, even when the Doctor appeared in it. I want Doctor Who to feel like I'm watching Doctor Who and at the moment I just don't.
So now that it's over...thoughts?
From what I've heard, the season's been pretty dire, with reactions ranging from "terrible" to "meh." I may give it a chance, but right now, there seems to be so many better options.
From what I've heard, the season's been pretty dire, with reactions ranging from "terrible" to "meh." I may give it a chance, but right now, there seems to be so many better options.
I liked Rosa and It Takes You Away a fair bit, and Kerblam! was fairly good as well, bar some mangled messaging. The Woman Who Fell To Earth, The Ghost Monument, and The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos were basically fine as well, although nothing I'm in a hurry to return to. Demons of the Punjab and The Witchfinders were both victims of wasted potential stemming from not making them pure historical stories, but weren't total losses. Arachnids in the UK was a dire remake of The Green Death, and The Tsuranga Conundrum was a shambles. Bradley Walsh as Graham lights up the screen and is easily the best thing in the show, Tosin Cole as Ryan has excellent chemistry with Graham but struggles on his own, Jodie Whittaker as the title character is a highly proficient performance of an often insufferably stupid and moralistic Doctor I hope to God goes out like the ***** she is, and Mandip Gill as Yasmin barely exists, even in the episodes that are meant to be about her. The show's gotten away from the absurd overambition that blighted the Steven Moffat era, and has promptly run too far in the opposite direction, largely offering up plots that we've seen variations on a hundred times before, and generally done better. Doing away with two part stories was also a mistake, as fifty minutes isn't enough for most Doctor Who plots to really work. At least under RTD and Moffat two or three stories a series benefited from being roughly feature length. It's mostly not bad, but it's certainly not great either. 6/10
Well now it's finished, I would give the series a meh. There were only 3 episodes I liked, The Witchfinders, the one where the parallel universe is a frog (can't remember the name) and the finale. Jodie Whittaker was fine as the Doctor, Bradley Walsh was great as Graham and Yaz and Ryan where there. Which as I've mention before is the problem with having three companions.
Like I say, the series was meh, but the first series ofca new Doctor is never the best as they are busy establishing the character of the Doctor and the companion(s). But it seems like just as it was getting going, it ended and other than the special on New Years Day, Doctor Who won't be back until 2020, killing any momentum it might have gathered. It's like the BBC are trying to kill it off completely.
Like I say, the series was meh, but the first series ofca new Doctor is never the best as they are busy establishing the character of the Doctor and the companion(s). But it seems like just as it was getting going, it ended and other than the special on New Years Day, Doctor Who won't be back until 2020, killing any momentum it might have gathered. It's like the BBC are trying to kill it off completely.
This season was far more consistent. Not many highs or lows (or any). Which means there is nothing that stands out. It gets a meh from me too.
Graham is THE companion and everyone supports his progress. He seems to care about Grace's death more than her own grandson.
But I seem to remember something similar happening in old Who with multiple companions. One was clearly more important than the others
Graham is THE companion and everyone supports his progress. He seems to care about Grace's death more than her own grandson.
But I seem to remember something similar happening in old Who with multiple companions. One was clearly more important than the others
