Doctor Who 2024 - News, views, spin-offs

[krtek a houby]

Hmmm.

Space Babies not my cup of tea.

The Devil's Chord, an improvement - experimental and will no doubt drive the gammons and antiwokes spare, but that bloody companion thing about being extraordinary and important to the universe is back. Why can't we have an ordinary person for a change? Also, haven't seen such a screen hugging performance since Jim Carrey in The Mask!

Saved by the awesomeness of Ncuti Gatwa. Here's hoping that the rest of the season is more yay than eh?

 

[seeformiles]

Halfway through the first one. Finding it a bit so-so but, on the plus side, he’s a good Doctor and the writers have remembered that they have to scare the crap out of a new generation of kids who demand better production values than we did. Nice comic moments too.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Are they going out of their way to make me hate doctor who?

Nobody has to go out their way to make you hate things.

 

[Karl Masks]

I mean this is certainly a reboot!

 

[danny la rouge]

I’ll wait until after the cooncil TV airing to give my full appraisal, but for now the things I loved:

Ncuti and Millie. Especially Ncuti.
The production values.
The confidence.
This gag “I thought it [the music] was non diegetic!”.

I had fun watching both episodes.

 

[danny la rouge]

OK, I’ll tell you but I’ll spoilerise it.

Spoiler

Things I was happy about:

The discussion of Susan! Yes! Thank you!

Being a foundling/orphan. Fine, good. That's a good way of dealing with the Timeless Child. It couldn't just be ignored after putting us all through it, but if something is going to come from it, that's the best takeaway.

I was happy the VW beetle had the 28IF number plate.

Things I didn't like:

Talking babies. This was not explained. And no, saying "space babies" a bunch of times is not an explanation. Nor is "did we grow up wrong?" They were 6 but operating the space station (to an extent)? How and why? I'm not an exacting man, but I do require some degree of ... satisfactory context for gratuitous nonsense.

The Beatles. Those were not convincing portrayals. Come on! I was nervous about this, and I was right to be.

The banishing chord wasn't a mysterious chord. It didn't contain the intervals that the Doctor played prior to the chord played by John and Paul. The chord they played was just a major chord. (E, I thought at the time, but I'd need to go back to check). If you're going to go on about an unusual chord, at least give us the Petrushka chord or something. That's out of copyright! And we'd already been told about tritones. But E major? Please! (Please me). The Maestro would be banished all the time by such a vanilla chord!

The "twist at the end". That was just tacked on for no reason. I don't mind dancing in Who. I liked Neil Patrick Harris's evil Spice Girls dance. But don't just throw in a dance number after the story has been tied up just to fill in time! And make it a good song. That song was rubbish.

Also, dial back the scenery chewing villains, please. There's charming and there's pantomime. I'd prefer we stepped back from pantomime.

In conclusion.

But overall I enjoyed the episodes. The first was better. And I am happy it's back up and running and with a new verve. I'm only 70% sold on the direction, though, and I'm looking for some reassurance in future episodes.

 

[belboid]

I was a little bit pissed for Space Babies. It has loads of really great bits - the whole ‘what if I step on a butterfly?’ bit made me proper laugh. The babies were, initially, quite cool. The story made sense and was well told…for a while, anyway. Fell apart a tad towards the end.

But it was the interplay between the Doctor and Ruby that was the clear highlight, they were just brilliant.

Looking forward to watching The Devil’s Chord sober

 

[danny la rouge]

But it was the interplay between the Doctor and Ruby that was the clear highlight, they were just brilliant.

Absolutely.

 

[Cloo]

Wasn't that enamored of story but yes, Gatwa is great. I liked that he expressed he's 'glad to be alive", I think that might be a good core theme for a doctor

 

[danny la rouge]

I’m rewatching Space Babies on Cooncil TV.

 

[Bingoman]

The 1st ep wasnt great but let's hope 2nd ep is better

 

[PR1Berske]

They are two different types of silly. As launch episodes they're fine. The trailer for ep 3 looks very good.

 

[RevolutionSound]

I liked Space Babies. Comments on US abortion law and UK asylum law, references to Alien/Aliens, a literal bogey man, what more could anyone want?

 

[Nine Bob Note]

Why won't it stop

 

[dessiato]

The first episode was OK but didn't grab me. Second started well, but the song and dance at the end, no thanks. Maybe I'm too much a traditionalist but it didn't feel like Dr Who.

 

[felixthecat]

That was...bonkers.

I'm yet to figure out if it was good or bad bonkers

 

[ruffneck23]

I thought space babies was ok, just, thought ep2 started really well then totallly lost it 10 mins before the end, and all the 4th wall breaking is distracting, although I hope it plays into the bigger story.

 

[Nine Bob Note]

I could have rewatched Fear Her or Evolution of the Daleks in the time I spent watching that

 

[CNT36]

Why won't it stop

I breathed a sigh of relief when the song ended then they did the crossing thing. It was like some shite to fill the gap between programmes on cbeebies.

 

[CNT36]

All the money, all the talent and... fuck off.

 

[krtek a houby]

Be happy if there's a musical number every episode. It's clearly what's been missing from Who.

 

[Cloo]

We all loved 'The Devil's Chord' though, glad we all watched it after my choir concert as they day began tryingly - excellent use of Jinkx Monsoon's physicality and prescence and a nice touch of whimsy. We overall approved of the bonkers.

 

[Kaka Tim]

dont think dr who is me anymore. is gone a bit .. well .. disney. pointless -and medicore - musical number and Ursula the sea witch ... nah ... and terrible beatles impresonation. Seen pub tribute bands with more convincing wigs

 

[CNT36]

The first episode was OK but didn't grab me. Second started well, but the song and dance at the end, no thanks. Maybe I'm too much a traditionalist but it didn't feel like Dr Who.

I think the first one would have works a little better if they had fleshed it out a little and designed the babies more interestingly. Futuristic life support devices or something. A proper explanation of why they're still babies and why they are smart but childish.

I don't see why if RTD wants to write and all singing all dancing fancy extravaganza he can't just write one from scratch instead of doing this to Doctor Who. Enemies beaten in a jam session or a game of catch largely by luck is just uninteresting. It could maybe work for me in another context but ffs.

 

[danny la rouge]

I think the first one would have works a little better if they had fleshed it out a little and designed the babies more interestingly. Futuristic life support devices or something. A proper explanation of why they're still babies and why they are smart but childish.

Agreed.

I don't see why if RTD wants to write and all singing all dancing fancy extravaganza he can't just write one from scratch instead of doing this to Doctor Who. Enemies beaten in a jam session or a game of catch largely by luck is just uninteresting. It could maybe work for me in another context but ffs.

I’m not bothered by song and dance numbers. But I want them as a part of the narrative, not just tagged on at the end after the conclusion for no reason.

 

[CNT36]

Agreed.

I’m not bothered by song and dance numbers. But I want them as a part of the narrative, not just tagged on at the end after the conclusion for no reason.

I'd say they got the balance about right with Master decimating the Earth. Goblin song was ok. Aliens(!) can have their own culture. The response part was shit.

 

[nottsgirl]

Space. Babies.

 

[nottsgirl]

Really?

 

[krtek a houby]

The liquorice monster was a bit space babies, back in the day.

 

[RevolutionSound]

The Devil's Chord was rubbish