Doctor Who Series 8

[ginger_syn]

dislike the new theme tune, uncertain about the new opening credits, more than happy with the new doctor,and i'm really looking forward to the rest of the new series.

 

[Kaka Tim]

twas very good.

Strax was superb.

And capaldi being all confused and scared, hunting in the bins was genuinely moving. He looks like he will be a very good doctor.

And it was quite scary in places.


Cud have done without the matt smith schmaltz and they still have the shit and annoyingly loud background music but overall Its very much a yes from me.

 

[MikeMcc]

At the start I was a bit put off with the whole 'confused Doctor' routine. It hasn't happened before, the Doctor has always been very controlled and accepting after a regeneration. The Rex was way too big and I'm not a fan of Dino-woman. how does she survive from the previous epoch, why does she stay in Victorian England and why is there no other record of her in the modern England? If she survived 100 million years why does she disappear in the last 150? The whole robots wanting to be human was a bit meh too, who created them, when and why? A new girlfriend too? Was Alex Kingston pricing herself out of a job? So now we have a daughter that hasn't reappeared, a wife that's gone AWOL, and a dodgy girlfriend.

Once Capaldi got himself out of the dither and set his style I liked it and I'm hoping for better episodes. He has a lot of presence and is a great character actor. I agree that Moffat is now the weak link. They really need more writers to make a more varied set of story lines and need to invent more alien characters as strong as River Song, Face of Boe, Jack Harkness, etc. Next weeks bad guys are Daleks (again...) and later in the Series is Cybermen (again...)

 

[Epona]

At the start I was a bit put off with the whole 'confused Doctor' routine. It hasn't happened before, the Doctor has always been very controlled and accepting after a regeneration.

Have we been watching the same show? Peter Davidson's and Colin Baker's Doctors were both complete messes after regeneration.
In fact I felt this one was very much shades of Colin Baker.

I do think Capaldi will be excellent however.

 

[Epona]

...and they still have the shit and annoyingly loud background music.....

Why do they keep doing it? There are complaints every season about the music being overly loud in places, and as usual I couldn't follow all the dialogue.
The music is sometimes good, but it wouldn't kill them to just take it down a notch!

 

[MikeMcc]

I must admit that I can't remember much detail from then, more working from Tennant and Ecclestone.

 

[Epona]

I must admit that I can't remember much detail from then, more working from Tennant and Ecclestone.

Ah well there you go. You are probably not well placed to comment about post-regeneration behaviour if you don't remember many of them

 

[MikeMcc]

But Bakers introduction was the first to bring in the idea of a 'regeneration' and Davidsons was just a bit of meh writing in the same way this one was. The others have tended to go smoothly, even commenting on the changes, remembering past characteristics and clothing.

 

[Epona]

But Bakers introduction was the first to bring in the idea of a 'regeneration' and Davidsons was just a bit of meh writing in the same way this one was. The others have tended to go smoothly, even commenting on the changes, remembering past characteristics and clothing.

Sorry, wut???

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

In analysis I think capaldi has the intensity down pat, remains to be seen how well he can do the scatterbrained loon bit- this was OK in that regard but he was able to ham it up because post-regeneration fugue. Good decision to set it with strax and co, because a)its funny b) it provides younger viwers with the familiar to ease transition and c) they got to bust out all the beebs vast collection of period gear again.

Good chuckle over the eyebrows secceding. HE'S MAKING REFERENCE TO SCOTS INDY! HE'S POKING THE FOURTH WALL! THAT ONES FOR YOU GROWN UPS!


The story in itself was not great, an enjoyable romp as it were. Repair droids from the 51st century taking the long way home bladdy blah.

Leaving it 'did he fall or was he pushed' keeps the ambiguity of the Doctors relationship to terrible neccesity (the robot jumped imo)

I was really hoping at the start that the T rex was going to take a bite from Big Ben in some strange homage to the classic Chewits adverts

I thought he chewed barrow in Furness bus depot.

 

[Epona]

One thing I thought, was that it was lovely that it was confirmed that Vastra and Jenny were a couple, I think it would have been better to play it serious though and not keep bringing it up as a point of humour.
Or perhaps I wish we lived in a society where it was just accepted that an ancient lizard and a human could be a married couple and that would just be accepted without need for it being a subject for further farce and jokes.

 

[ruffneck23]

I thought he chewed barrow in Furness bus depot.

There were 4 adverts in the 80's , indeed the bus station was one , the Taj Mahal another, the leaning tower of Pisa and the empire state building were in ads 1&2.

It did come to London in the 3rd and 4th adverts , mashed up a bridge and wore the dome of st pauls as a hat.But no eating of big ben

According to a little search on google and you tube.

 

[Knotted]

Ah, they've finally fixed the theme tune. I end my boycott.

 

[Epona]

Ah, they've finally fixed the theme tune. I end my boycott.

I was not that taken by the opening sequence, but the theme tune and graphics at the end was all very retro and got a big thumbs up from me.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

There were 4 adverts in the 80's , indeed the bus station was one , the Taj Mahal another, the leaning tower of Pisa and the empire state building were in ads 1&2.

It did come to London in the 3rd and 4th adverts , mashed up a bridge and wore the dome of st pauls as a hat.But no eating of big ben

According to a little search on google and you tube.

I probably only remember barrow because I lived in Dalton in Furness . there wasn't a bus depot, I think it was a joke because they were funneling public funds pretending to get one built or something.

Just watched dimensions in time. Shite of course, but interesting to see everyone, needed more romana and less Langford.

 

[Knotted]

I was not that taken by the opening sequence, but the theme tune and graphics at the end was all very retro and got a big thumbs up from me.

I missed the opening sequence, but the end was just what they should have been doing. Eerie and stylish.

I'm also liking Peter Capaldi's Doctor. I think previously there have been 4 different variations of Doctors - Hartwellish severe and morally alien, Troughtonish imps, Pertweeish angry action men and Davidsonish vulnerable characters. This is an interesting combination of types 1) and 4) and Capaldi is a good enough actor to pull it off if the script is strong enough.

Plot was a bit crap though. Rushed. These things need to develop over a few episodes.

 

[SpookyFrank]

One thing I thought, was that it was lovely that it was confirmed that Vastra and Jenny were a couple, I think it would have been better to play it serious though and not keep bringing it up as a point of humour.
Or perhaps I wish we lived in a society where it was just accepted that an ancient lizard and a human could be a married couple and that would just be accepted without need for it being a subject for further farce and jokes.

I was glad they bought up the slightly dodgy dynamic of Jenny being both lover and servant. Apart from them both being women, and one of them being a lizard, their relationship is really very nineteenth century. The whole situation provides a good excuse to satirise the idea of a 'traditional' marriage IMO.

 

[Epona]

I missed the opening sequence, but the end was just what they should have been doing. Eerie and stylish.

I'm also liking Peter Capaldi's Doctor. I think previously there have been 4 different variations of Doctors - Hartwellish severe and morally alien, Troughtonish imps, Pertweeish angry action men and Davidsonish vulnerable characters. This is an interesting combination of types 1) and 4) and Capaldi is a good enough actor to pull it off if the script is strong enough.

Plot was a bit crap though. Rushed. These things need to develop over a few episodes.

Aye, I wasn't that impressed with the plot, and some bits were silly - it's still Doctor Who though and I prefer it to exist than not, if that makes any sense.

It's interesting what you say about Hartnell being morally alien, and I think you're right - watching it these days and comparing with the modern series, he had morals, but they weren't the same as we see in the role these days, he was often quite horrible and deceitful to his companions for example.

 

[Knotted]

It's interesting what you say about Hartnell being morally alien, and I think you're right - watching it these days and comparing with the modern series, he had morals, but they weren't the same as we see in the role these days, he was often quite horrible and deceitful to his companions for example.

They brought that back with Collin Baker and to an extent with Sylvester McCoy and it would be good to see it done well. But it would require some courage from the writers.

Notice he abandoned Clara. That's a very Hartwell/C Baker thing to have done.

 

[Epona]

They brought that back with Collin Baker and to an extent with Sylvester McCoy and it would be good to see it done well. But it would require some courage from the writers.

Notice he abandoned Clara. That's a very Hartwell/C Baker thing to have done.

He abandoned her for a short period of time then came back for her, and we knew he would come back.

Compare that to the very start of Doctor Who, where Hartnell's Doctor abducted 2 people and watching it, you're not entirely sure whether he's not going to bump them off or leave them in some situation where they will die.
Modern Doctor, however dire the situation, we sort of have a belief that he is a good guy who will turn up and do the rescue if required. I'm not sure anyone tuning in 50 years ago could have been quite so certain, because there didn't seem to be any such assurance that he was a good guy, at least not at first - he was a cranky old bloke with seemingly little empathy or sympathy, and a very controlling and manipulative streak, and anything could have happened.

 

[Knotted]

Fair point. But what was that business with the tramp?

 

[Epona]

Fair point. But what was that business with the tramp?

If you are referring to Troughton, he was an excellent Doctor. He was a more friendly Doctor than Hartnell. There were also some really epic and (for the time) large-budget and large-scale stories in his era. Such a shame that many of them have been lost.

 

[Knotted]

If you are referring to Troughton, he was an excellent Doctor. He was a more friendly Doctor than Hartnell. There were also some really epic and (for the time) large-budget and large-scale stories in his era. Such a shame that many of them have been lost.

Sorry, I meant in last night's episode. With the attempt at extorting the tramp of his coat and generally being scary. That was quite dark.

I wouldn't dream of calling Patrick Troughton a tramp! I think he was one of the best.

 

[Epona]

Sorry, I meant in last night's episode. With the attempt at extorting the tramp of his coat and generally being scary. That was quite dark.

I wouldn't dream of calling Patrick Troughton a tramp! I think he was one of the best.

Oh sorry, my brain was in "Classic Who" space when responding, and Troughton is often referred to as the "Tramp" Doctor (EDIT: I think because the character was a little bit of a hippy, dressed oddly, and was seen as an eccentric intergalactic wanderer, not for negative connotations).

I get you now, I don't know but I have a feeling the tramp from the last episode may well turn up again and be important somehow, just a feeling I have - if he wasn't going to be important somehow it seemed to dwell on that segment a long time iykwim.

 

[8den]

I'll say this for Moffat. He's very environmentally friendly, he recycles all of his ideas, many times.

And I fucking hate the new theme.

 

[Chilli.s]

It gets a thumbs up at our house. I'm just pleased that its an older looking Who.

 

[Epona]

It gets a thumbs up at our house. I'm just pleased that its an older looking Who.

Honestly my first thought when Capaldi's role was announced was "thank fuck they got someone older than me". There are only so many times you can laugh off the obvious sign of aging that the Doctor seems to be getting younger.

 

[mentalchik]

Hated the new theme tune and starting bit...........

 

[Epona]

Hated the new theme tune and starting bit...........

Same here, end credits were really cool and retro though (in an appropriately Doctor Who way) and I loved them.

 

[ruffneck23]

ok , so im with you with the credits and theme being a bit meh, the story was pretty weak, but at least got a little chilling from the restaurant onwards. Clara had something to do which was nice. Capaldi will be a decent Doctor from first impressions but as others have said, only if he gets the scripts, which worries me.

Still i'll keep on watching and hopefully Moffat wont fuck it up again. ( HOPEFULLY )