The Problem with Doctor Who 7.2

[La Kias]

Hi All,

Before I start let me get one thing very clear. I love Doctor Who, no two ways about that. As I write this I look about my room to see my remote control Dalek, my character building TARDIS set, my Gallifreyan cufflinks...the list goes on. And yet even I will admit this half a series has been abysmal. I was looking forward to a Nightmare in Silver but god did it suck. This half a series has been shockingly bad and there has been something else I couldn't put my finger on, that is until now, that has been bugging me.

So lets get past the crap writing that has been lingering this series half and look at two things: the monsters and the companion. To start of the monsters. There haven't been any. Let me explain. What makes a great Who monster is that they are scary throughout an entire episode, they're inhuman, they pose a genuine threat and they are savage. A Who villain should be fiendishly clever, cold and merciless. Now lets look at what we have had this series half:

Spoonheads and the G.I's company: Perhaps one of the better ones in this list but they never really posed the threat we sought.

The Sun Parasite: good episode just anticlimactic and only appeared near the end. Its herald was trapped in a glass box so nothing to worry about with hum. Not to mention by destroying the sun parasite didn't the Doctor and Clara just wipe out the planet's that orbited it?

The Ice Warrior: The Ice Warrior acted because he was scarred and had the thought his daughter was long since passed. He was too human to be a monster or a villain. He did terrible things yes, but things he believed were justified by his laws and he acted as a soldier would.

The Ghost: Yeah, too early on it was revealed the ghost was someone in trouble rather than an actual ghost, was it too much to ask for a scary monster?!

The leech: red baby...the scariest thing about it was it appeared to be suckling from an 80-year-old lady.

the cybermen: they were justa bit too borg and not in the episode enough.

Now for Clara. Something just isn't gelling. She's trying to be funnier and full of more energy than is needed. I don't know. Tell me your thoughts below.

So what have your problems been with this series if you have any. Would be great to hear from anyone enjoying it as to why (genuine interest).

 

[Catfood220]

the cybermen: they were justa bit too borg and not in the episode enough.

To be fair, the Cybermen probably influenced the idea of the Borg to begin with. Though I do have to admit that those metal bits that the Doctor wore on his face were quite Borgish in design. I suppose its a bit like Nine Inch Nails covering Johny Cash's version of Hurt. Paying tribute to the tribute as it were.

I actually liked this episode, I think it was the best one of the second part of this series. The one thing that bugged the living shit out of me was the Cyberman moving at superhuman speed. That was fucking dumb. I always thought the point of the Cybermen was while they were slow and cumbersome, when they attacked, you could kill a couple of them but in the end you would either end up dead or "upgraded". Like the Borg.

I think it will get better when we find out who/what Clara is. I'm personally hoping she's the Master.

 

[Verzin]

I'm having a hard time watching Dr. Who series 5-7 recently.

My problem: No consequences when the Doctor is fighting enemies that have been made out to be extremely dangerous and hard to stop. They feel like they've been trivialized so much. It's sad.

Spoiler

Remember that episode where love was greater than the conversion of the cybermen?

Bullshit. I really feel that that whole episode was just so lazy, and so damaging to the lore that I couldn't believe it. I miss the days when cybermen converted somebody and that was that, or where Daleks could shoot straight and just a SINGLE ONE could practically exterminate a planet (given enough time to hunt everything down). you know..I can't remember the last time the doctor fought the Daleks and it even felt like he came close to losing.

I feel that it's gotten to a point where the doctors enemies have lost their clout, because he's beaten them so many times recently with so few repercussions and the huge focus on emotion and human spirit has gotten absurd.

It basically needs to be darker and/or more clever writing. They've gotten lazy. The perspective and sense of danger is gone for me. I'm still watching, and enjoying some of them, but I really think they can do so much better. They NEED to. it can't keep going like this.