Doctor who:The girl who waited SPOILERS

[Wes1180]

I did not enjoy this as much as some of the other episodes.

I have a couple of tiny problems with this:

Why did Rory not say which button? Or at least why did Amy not ask which button?
Also how did Amy somehow become alot smarter? As in being able to hack and reprogram the interface was it?

Also Doctor Who is starting to become like fable, as in the preview for the next one looks like it's going to be really good but then the episode, whilst not being bad, is not as good as what I thought it would be. Also thought i'd show you the picture of the fable part

Snipping good point image.

With the trend in which the show is going, I'm willing to bet that the scenes, in the trailer for the next episode, which show The Doctor will be the only scenes in which he is in.

If you haven't noticed, The Doctor is getting less and less face time. With how horrible the direction the show has been going, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually kill off The Doctor for good and make it Stupid Amy and Rory's Fun Times Through Time.

On the smarter Amy thing. They went with a horribly bad cliche:

When a person is stranded somewhere for long periods of time, all of a sudden hidden abilities that they didn't have and really should never have, pop up because if they didn't said character would have died and there would have been no point to the episode. Though I wouldn't have minded if they had killed Amy off, and it would have been great if Rory went with her as well.

(not sure if you saw the edit to my last post before you posted it, thought I should mention it)

I think you may just be right about the killing off Amy and Rory, or at least making them run off less. Maybe some interaction between these and some familiar faces would be a good addition?

 

[TimeLord]

The problem is that Doctor Who fandom is too great that many Doctor Who fans are blind to what the show is becoming. The core Stargate fans knew what they were doing by not watching Stargate Universe and letting it die, so that it didn't become a bigger horrible mark on the Stargate franchise. Even though Stargate fans like me knew that it might kill the chances of having another Stargate show, but we knew that Stargate Universe had to die to keep the integrity/quality of the franchise intact.

Thanks for generalising. But seriously, because Doctor Who has changed a little from "look at me save the universe and be awesome in 45 minutes" to "look at my companions have genuine backstories and character arcs and not just people I picked up off the street" means that Doctor Who is dead or dying? If you don't like it, in a couple of years there will be a new Doctor and new writer. RTD had his fair share of weak episodes too and so does Moffat. I'm not saying every episode is brilliant. But I still enjoy every episode so they must be doing something right!

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Edit: Going way off topic, but what's with the rather out of place Stargate Universe mention in this thread? I bet those "core" Stargate fans (though really they should be called just SG1 or Atlantis fans) won't be so happy when they don't get anymore Stargate at all because they thought they were too cool to watch SGU.

Sorry to go off topic there, but that kind of thing really gets my goat. While I'm, sad there will be no more Stargate [Universe], now that the commotion over its cancellation has mostly dies down, I don't need to hear the demented braying of the Atlantards any more.

It wasn't off-topic, I discussed what made this episode of Doctor Who bad, and then lead that into why the show is faltering, which I gave the proper example of what happened with Stargate Universe, to show what I believe Doctor Who is becoming.

To and my point on that and respond to what you said: I mentioned in what I said, the core Stargate fans knew that if they boycotted Universe, that it might mean no more Stargate. We did it because it had to be done to preserve the quality of the show franchise, if that meant not getting to see new ones, so be it. I feel the same about Doctor Who, it has gotten way off track of what the show is about.

I will add that I would have stopped watching Doctor Who, if the Doctor had let Old Amy come along and everything turned out fine. Paradoxes are bad, it was established a long time ago and is canon that Paradoxes can destroy time itself, so it would have been stupid to ignore that and have everything just fine and dandy with two Amy's around the TARDIS. In canon the only Paradoxes that have been allowed, were the ones where the Doctor met and helped himself. But those only were able to happen because the Time Lords were still around and could control time, and allowed those things to happen.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

The problem is that Doctor Who fandom is too great that many Doctor Who fans are blind to what the show is becoming. The core Stargate fans knew what they were doing by not watching Stargate Universe and letting it die, so that it didn't become a bigger horrible mark on the Stargate franchise. Even though Stargate fans like me knew that it might kill the chances of having another Stargate show, but we knew that Stargate Universe had to die to keep the integrity/quality of the franchise intact.

Thanks for generalising. But seriously, because Doctor Who has changed a little from "look at me save the universe and be awesome in 45 minutes" to "look at my companions have genuine backstories and character arcs and not just people I picked up off the street" means that Doctor Who is dead or dying? If you don't like it, in a couple of years there will be a new Doctor and new writer. RTD had his fair share of weak episodes too and so does Moffat. I'm not saying every episode is brilliant. But I still enjoy every episode so they must be doing something right!

I'm not just comparing these new episodes to RTD's episodes, I'm also comparing to all the old series episodes on DVD, I have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Doctor episodes. There is one thing that is the same with all of them, the Doctor always gets the majority of the screen time. I'm fine with getting companion backs stories, but there is no reason to give them whole episodes. There are character backs stories in the old episodes, but they still only take up 40 and at most 45% of an episode. The series we are in now, is really the first time The Doctor for so long hasn't been a major player in the show. The only ones I can think of that didn't have a majority of the Doctor in them are "Love and Monsters" and "Turn Left", but truly even without the screen time, those episodes are respectively about The Doctor's effect on random people and Earth itself.

It isn't hard the see that the show has changed and really isn't about The Doctor anymore. Well, he had 46 good years. That is a great run.

 

[Stew Coard]

I liked the episode, I thought it was clever, but what really bothered me was when he mentioned not being able to regenerate, what the hell was up with that? He's pulled this bullshit twice now, whats the point of having regeneration if people can just kill him without it working?

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Snip

(not sure if you saw the edit to my last post before you posted it, thought I should mention it)

I think you may just be right about the killing off Amy and Rory, or at least making them run off less. Maybe some interaction between these and some familiar faces would be a good addition?

Yeah, when you edited your post, I was still writing my quote of your post. But yeah, we need to get some familiarity and history back into the show. Even with how immature Rose was early on as a companion and how a little bit younger she was, Amy and Rory act like absent minded puppies wondering off when they see a squeaky ball and then run off before they get to it when they see a new food bowl.

I was actually laughing at the supposed emotional moment when Rory was choosing between old and new Amy and that he could only take one. It just fell flat, because we know he can't have both, and we know he is going to take young Amy

 

[Cpt Corallis]

Lots of Snip

This episode is added to the small pile of episodes that I ended up wondering when the heck the episode would end because it was just that boring and not relevant to what the show is about.

Thing is though, RTD started adding in theses types of episodes, where the companions get the focus rather than the Doctor from the third series (reboot) onwards. Blink/Turn Left etc.
These Doctor Lite episodes were pretty much to give the lead actor a break from filming. Any episode previous to this one has had a large doctor presence, it just may be using Rory or Amy as Foils to the Doctor's view in order to make a point.
This episode was always confirmed to be that episode for this season.
Also, honestly I really enjoyed the episode, The whole idea of what happens when the Doctor fails people really appealed to me, and also exactly how callous he was about saving Old! Amy.

 

[TimeLord]

The problem is that Doctor Who fandom is too great that many Doctor Who fans are blind to what the show is becoming. The core Stargate fans knew what they were doing by not watching Stargate Universe and letting it die, so that it didn't become a bigger horrible mark on the Stargate franchise. Even though Stargate fans like me knew that it might kill the chances of having another Stargate show, but we knew that Stargate Universe had to die to keep the integrity/quality of the franchise intact.

Thanks for generalising. But seriously, because Doctor Who has changed a little from "look at me save the universe and be awesome in 45 minutes" to "look at my companions have genuine backstories and character arcs and not just people I picked up off the street" means that Doctor Who is dead or dying? If you don't like it, in a couple of years there will be a new Doctor and new writer. RTD had his fair share of weak episodes too and so does Moffat. I'm not saying every episode is brilliant. But I still enjoy every episode so they must be doing something right!

I'm not just comparing these new episodes to RTD's episodes, I'm also comparing to all the old series episodes on DVD, I have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Doctor episodes. There is one thing that is the same with all of them, the Doctor always gets the majority of the screen time. I'm fine with getting companion backs stories, but there is no reason to give them whole episodes. There are character backs stories in the old episodes, but they still only take up 40 and at most 45% of an episode. The series we are in now, is really the first time The Doctor for so long hasn't been a major player in the show. The only ones I can think of that didn't have a majority of the Doctor in them are "Love and Monsters" and "Turn Left", but truly even without the screen time, those episodes are respectively about The Doctor's effect on random people and Earth itself.

It isn't hard the see that the show has changed and really isn't about The Doctor anymore. Well, he had 46 good years. That is a great run.

Except for 'Blink', widely regarded as the best new Who episode since 2005, written by Moffat and containing very little Doctor.

Anyway, Doctor Who won't die. The BBC won't let it. Smith has already confirmed a series 7 and the BBC released figures that put Doctor Who as their second top grossing franchise behind Top Gear.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

I liked the episode, I thought it was clever, but what really bothered me was when he mentioned not being able to regenerate, what the hell was up with that? He's pulled this bullshit twice now, whats the point of having regeneration if people can just kill him without it working?

Certain things that can kill The Doctor, will kill him in a way that he can't regenerate. The illness mentioned in this episode is apparently one of them.

 

[Cpt Corallis]

I liked the episode, I thought it was clever, but what really bothered me was when he mentioned not being able to regenerate, what the hell was up with that? He's pulled this bullshit twice now, whats the point of having regeneration if people can just kill him without it working?

Regeneration is still (I think) a technical process. There are things that stop the process from happening, like poisons or plagues. Probably because these would carry over between regenerations killing him instantly.

 

[MarsProbe]

It wasn't off-topic, I discussed what made this episode of Doctor Who bad, and then lead that into why the show is faltering, which I gave the proper example of what happened with Stargate Universe, to show what I believe Doctor Who is becoming.

To and my point on that and respond to what you said: I mentioned in what I said, the core Stargate fans knew that if they boycotted Universe, that it might mean no more Stargate. We did it because it had to be done to preserve the quality of the show franchise, if that meant not getting to see new ones, so be it. I feel the same about Doctor Who, it has gotten way off track of what the show is about.

Fair enough, but I still wish SGU had actually been given a chance to go on just a little bit longer than the two seasons it had. Of course, if you didn't like SGU then one is hardly likely to feel the same, but the way season 2 ended may have been a satisfying ending to the season, but was a shocking way for an entire series, nay franchise, to end.

Really it's more the loss of any actual decent exploration-based space SF shows, not just SGU specifically. Though at the time, SGU was the only actual TV series I had any interest in watching. Though maybe if it had gone on a bit longer, they might have actually got to visit some planets that didn't fit into the two categories that seemed to exist in SGU (inhospitable "desert" planets (that may or may not have actually been deserts) or abandoned human colonies).

Nonetheless, is a Stargate fan who decides to boycott one particular Stargate series because they happen not to like it really a "core" fan? If someone is really that dedicated to a particular franchise, then surely they would stick it out regardless. Deciding to opt out of watching just because you don't like the fact the series is taking a different direction than its predecessors even if does mean sacrificing the whole franchise isn't as noble an endeavour as it's made out to be.

It's really not that different to calling yourself a Deus Ex fan, regardless of the fact that you didn't like Invisible War because "it sucked".

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Snip

Except for 'Blink', widely regarded as the best new Who episode since 2005, written by Moffat and containing very little Doctor.

Anyway, Doctor Who won't die. The BBC won't let it. Smith has already confirmed a series 7 and the BBC released figures that put Doctor Who as their second top grossing franchise behind Top Gear.

I'm sorry I forgot about Blink.

Though the way The Doctor was written in that episode, his minimal screen time felt like more. Plus he was a driving factor in the episode because he orchestrated his own saving, getting the conversation on the DVDs. Granted by getting the transcript of the conversation with Sally Sparrow, from Sally Sparrow at the end of the episode, but he himself told her at some point she would have to give it to a earlier him.

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey.

In these latest episodes, he is deep in the background. Heck, Amy only survived in the first place because miraculously when she was stranded for 36 years, she all of a sudden became a genius who could make things like sonic screwdrivers. I don't care how much time a normal person has, they will never all of a sudden gain the science and mechanical knowledge of The Doctor. Except the whole meta-crisis thing with Donna, that was more believable than Amy making a sonic screwdriver.

 

[TimeLord]

Snip

Except for 'Blink', widely regarded as the best new Who episode since 2005, written by Moffat and containing very little Doctor.

Anyway, Doctor Who won't die. The BBC won't let it. Smith has already confirmed a series 7 and the BBC released figures that put Doctor Who as their second top grossing franchise behind Top Gear.

I'm sorry I forgot about Blink.

Though the way The Doctor was written in that episode, his minimal screen time felt like more. Plus he was a driving factor in the episode because he orchestrated his own saving, getting the conversation on the DVDs. Granted by getting the transcript of the conversation with Sally Sparrow, from Sally Sparrow at the end of the episode, but he himself told her at some point she would have to give it to a earlier him.

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey.

In these latest episodes, he is deep in the background. Heck, Amy only survived in the first place because miraculously when she was stranded for 36 years, she all of a sudden became a genius who could make things like sonic screwdrivers. I don't care how much time a normal person has, they will never all of a sudden gain the science and mechanical knowledge of The Doctor. Except the whole meta-crisis thing with Donna, that was more believable than Amy making a sonic screwdriver.

Except that Amy told us how she knows that stuff. She tricked the interface into telling her "everything I need to know except how to leave." Sonic devices have been seen to not be a Time Lord creation, in the future it could be common knowledge how to build a handy sonic device.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Lots of Snip

This episode is added to the small pile of episodes that I ended up wondering when the heck the episode would end because it was just that boring and not relevant to what the show is about.

Thing is though, RTD started adding in theses types of episodes, where the companions get the focus rather than the Doctor from the third series (reboot) onwards. Blink/Turn Left etc.
These Doctor Lite episodes were pretty much to give the lead actor a break from filming. Any episode previous to this one has had a large doctor presence, it just may be using Rory or Amy as Foils to the Doctor's view in order to make a point.
This episode was always confirmed to be that episode for this season.
Also, honestly I really enjoyed the episode, The whole idea of what happens when the Doctor fails people really appealed to me, and also exactly how callous he was about saving Old! Amy.

I've already mentioned in other posts of mine in this thread, on how those Doctor lite episodes still were effected and almost totally had to do about The Doctor.

"Love and Monsters": The Doctor's effect on random everyday people.
"Turn Left": The Doctor's actual contributions to Earth and what would happen if he wasn't around.
"Blink": Orchestrated how he would get the TARDIS back, by properly knowing how to use the transcript he had been given at the end of the episode.

Edit: And I didn't find The Doctor callous about Old Amy. He did what he had to do, he couldn't take her and he knew the only way to do it was to shut that door.

 

[luvva]

This episode was good, kept out ALL of the river/doctors death bs and went for a nice, well thought out story. But what IM excited for is the next episode, it looks very nice and it looks like it could be a bit like the episode Blink (it does have weeping angels in it).

Not ALL of the river/doctors death bs actually... there's something that the Doctor said that illuminates us on the nature of the streams.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Yeah it was a pretty awesome ep, probabbly the best of the season. I'm amazed that Rory and Amy are still traveling with the Doctor after that one though! And How come they never get to just visit another planet without killer robots appearing!

Well Amy and Rory pratting about in a spa wouldn't make good telivision would it

Karen Gillen pratting about in a towel sounds like fine tv to me.

/perv

It was ok. Still a bit dull compared to episodes past, but I liked it being a departure from the overarching series plot, it usually makes for a more interesting episode.

 

[dickywebster]

The last episode was kinda anti-climatic, as has most of the last series been...

While I will agree it has gone downhill, my main problems, as I think has been shown in most of the last series, is building episodes up with possibly good ideas, but then having a flimsy ending, like with the newest one (ignoring robots can can be beaten with sticks...) is that it had this big idea, then just kinda ended, as with the last few...

Or with the last episode from the first half of the series where lots of random people just kinda turned up to fight for the doctor...

but it could just be me, but i think Matt Smiths era of doctor who will be remembered for raising lots of questions and never getting round to answering them.
Like with the Silence, something that was meantioned in his first episode, then from time to time afterwards and now seems to be some group that wants the doctor dead or something, idk.

Oh and does anything think they will bother telling us who/what/why the tardis nearly destroyed the universe or rebuilt it?
I might be bordering on a rant here, but theres just so many questions, most of which will probably never be answered, but I personally am just gonna give up if they dont at least start explaining something by the end of the series.

And ive been watching the originals since I was a kid too...

 

[Plinglebob]

Personally, I find it hard to say its going downhill when since its resserection we've had episodes like Aliens of London, Love & Monsters, Fear Her, all of Martha Jones' episodes (series 3 really had me worried) and Planet of the Dead. Between a choice of relatively well written companions being given a greater percentage of screen time or more Doctor with a companion who see's him as a mix of God and sex object, gimme Amy and Rory (and yes, even River) any day.

I really enjoyed this episode and I thought it really tied in well to this series overaching theme of "How others see the Doctor". Seeing him as flawed or possibly even the bad guy makes a nice change compared to how much everyone was worshiping him in the Tennent/Davies era.

I wonder if it's meant to be a metaphor for what the Doctor does to people. Think about what characters are starting to say, think about how his reputation preceded him in AGMGTW, and think about what we're building to.

Love this theory and while I have no cookies to give you if you're right, I will give you a standing applause.

 

[Dalek Caan]

Really like this episode. Was held in suspense throughout the whole thing. The thing I like most about it was that it wasn't in two parts. Almost sure it would be.

 

[ZeoAssassin]

it was a solid episode. best in this half of the season so far (The Doctors Wife is still the best and hit me more emotionally).

i can understand the robots getting their ass kicked as easily as they did, they are basically nurse-bots that aren't designed for any combat of course.

BUT...what REALLY distracted me was, despite having a gallery with the freaking Mona Lisa (aka EARTH stuff) and having Earth in the computer database, why were the robots still stupid enough to not realize they were human and thus different? clearly they have to have some knowledge of humans since they have some of our art and swords(arguably) as well right?

seems like the Doctors death is really becoming a theme with this half of the season, he 'dies' in Lets Kill Hitler and is threatened with a disease that is able to kill Time-lords, and looking at the preview for the God Complex...i am sure there's something about the Doctor dieing in this one too.

As for the supposed "decline of the show", there have been FAR worse episodes from both the new and old series the show has survived through already. As bad as some Moffat episodes may be he never made Love and Monsters or THIS abomination

http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/x1351j_tardismedia_dimensions-in-time#videoId=xakwbj

btw i am aware this isn't technically cannon now but it still illustrates my point. If it can survive THIS it can survive a slightly meh season like 6 (so far)