Doctor Who

[tigerrouge]

I somehow managed to miss the first episode - but Doctor Who's back!

 

[pixiedust1603]

I missed half of the second episode but I loved the first episode and the very special guest star.
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[tigerrouge]

I caught up thanks to the internet, and I really liked the first episode, and while I wasn't so fond of the second one, I think it was something that was enjoyable for all the family to watch.

I'll be a lot happier if this series is full of episodes that can stand alone, rather than complicated story arcs that start to get too clever for their own good, just to get people talking.

 

[pixiedust1603]

That is Steven Moffat all over, every word is like a hint. RTD's arcs were much more straight forward and predictable.
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[YoninahAliza]

I really enjoyed the first episode, it was very clever, I like it when I have an "omg" moment (sometimes...not always of course!) while watching a tv show. What do you think the link between Oswin Oswald and Clara is? Are they related? Or are they the same person? She was such a great character and I liked how they showed off Jenna's acting chops. I didn't see what happened coming at all.

Wasn't as fond of the second one, I hated how they turned Nefertiti into a really sexual character who didn't seem to have much point in being there. She was a really strong women, who helped bring about a religious revolution, so the way she was portrayed on Doctor Who was a bit disappointing. Surprisingly the second episode wasn't written by Moffat, so we can't blame it on him (for once)! But overall, I think this season is off to a decent start.

 

[pixiedust1603]

The way Moffat is not producing amazing scripts for DW anymore is so upsetting. Before he took over as lead writer he was consistently writing my favourite episodes like The Girl in the Fireplace, which is still my favourite ever New Who episode, and the ones that introduced River.
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[opheliarose]

I enjoyed last night's episode because it was one of those nice stand-alone episodes, not super connected to anything else (aside from introducing Rory's dad and the nods to the fact that the Ponds' time with the Doctor is ending) and it was fun and a bit silly, which is nice for them to remember occasionally since it's billed as a children's show. The Doctor's gang was fun and Amy got to be awesome again, it feels like it's been a long time since she was able to do that. Really enjoyed the surprise in the first episode, I won't elaborate since I don't want to spoil anyone, but I appreciated it since I wasn't very sure about...that situation and now I feel a bit more positive about it.

Definitely sad about the Ponds leaving...I love Amy and Rory and I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry like a baby, no matter the outcome.

Re: Moffat's writing not being as good as it might have been before, it's got to be difficult, and a lot of pressure, to carry the series on your shoulders, you know? He must feel like it's always got to be bigger, better, more clever than it was before, and sometimes he succeeds and sometimes it's a bit much. I liked the River Song arc and all of that, but it definitely made my mind hurt at times, haha.

 

[paz2992]

i really liked the first episode, moffat bringing back the daleks but adding them a little plus makes me love the how the whole series kind of re-invents itself with a classic enemy such as the daleks... the last scene was probably my favourite, with the phrase the daleks keep repeating.

as for the second episode i still haven't got the chance to see it yet since i have 3 essays to finish for wednesday and a exam on tuesday. then i'll have a little spring break so i'll have tons of time there.

 

[Carla-A]

I really enjoyed the first episode, it was very clever, I like it when I have an "omg" moment (sometimes...not always of course!) while watching a tv show. What do you think the link between Oswin Oswald and Clara is? Are they related? Or are they the same person? She was such a great character and I liked how they showed off Jenna's acting chops. I didn't see what happened coming at all.

Wasn't as fond of the second one, I hated how they turned Nefertiti into a really sexual character who didn't seem to have much point in being there. She was a really strong women, who helped bring about a religious revolution, so the way she was portrayed on Doctor Who was a bit disappointing. Surprisingly the second episode wasn't written by Moffat, so we can't blame it on him (for once)! But overall, I think this season is off to a decent start.

Couldn't agree more! Nefertiti's portrayal was hit or miss for me, she had really good moments (spoilers ahead), like how she made the choice to go with Solomon and how she eventually saved herself, but the way she was referred to as an 'it' by Solomon, as a possession to be sold, made me uncomfortable. Now I get it, he's the villain and he's supposed to make the viewers shiver with unease but still, seeing a powerful historical figure reduced to an object like that didn't sit well with me, especially since women of color have a history of being objectified. Riddell's demeaning behavior towards her also ticked me off. And I don't really get why the DW writers are so set on having every powerful woman in history hit on the Doctor but whatever.

That said I think the season is off to a good start. Saturday's episode was good entertainment, it was funny and heartwarming all the same, though you can tell they're slowly building up to the Ponds' departure and that's making me anxious. And I loved Asylum! There were a few inconsistencies surrouding the Daleks but aside from this it was gobsmacking. I loved Oswin and I, too, am wondering how they're going to circumvent her death, or whether Clara and Oswin are the same characters at all?

I agree that there's been a certain dicrease in Moffat's writing quality but it's to be expected imo, under RTD's era he only wrote one or two episodes per season so he could really concentrate on them while now he has to write like, six episodes per season in addition to supervising everyone else's episodes....it must take a toll.

 

[pixiedust1603]

I know. He writes one episode per series for Sherlock and it really highlights his talent. I wish he didn't write as many and concentrated on just one or two knock out series best episodes.
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[tigerrouge]

Well, that was a short run of episodes, and now we're back to waiting for more...

 

[YoninahAliza]

I hate how it feels like only yesterday that the new season was starting up and now it's over till christmas. It's far too short of a episode run!

I just finished watching the last episode, and oh my goodness, so many tears! I think I ended up sobbing throughout the later half of the episode and for a good while after it was done. Overall I rather "liked" it, I'm just glad that Amy and Rory ended up together. I think I would have been totally gutted if only one of them didn't make it. But they were such a sweet couple and it was really important that they lived the rest of their lives together. And hopefully the Doctor understands that.

 

[tigerrouge]

Two Time Lords in the same place, at the same time... at a theatre press night (dailymail.co.uk

 

[YoninahAliza]

Holy smokes...I swear to god David Tennant get's better with age! And Matt Smith is like an overgrown, adorable hipster child. Lovely to see Matt and Billie together as well, they apparently are great friends.

 

[tigerrouge]

I would certainly say this year's Christmas special is worth a look, if only to find out more about the new assistant... while you catch up, here are some of the official Doctor Who stamps that the Royal Mail will be releasing in 2013 (dailymail.co.uk).

As one person commented: "At last, I get to lick David Tennant without the fear of arrest!"

The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who will be marked by a special set of stamps next year.

The Royal Mail said 11 stamps will be issued on March 26, featuring each of the actors who have played the role of the Time Lord, ranging from the first Doctor, William Hartnell, to the current one, Matt Smith.

David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton will also be featured on the stamps, which will all be First Class.

 

[pixiedust1603]

I felt like this year's Christmas Special brought back some of the heart and warmth that Doctor Who had lost since David left and I have to say that is because of Clara. She's going to be such an incredible companion.
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[Nikoline]

^ Agree! I thought it was the best christmas special with Matt by far, also one of the best episodes in general in a long time. I wasn't so sure about Clara in the beginning, but after the special I completely fell in love with her. I have a feeling that she's going to be great.

 

[YoninahAliza]

I throughly enjoyed the Doctor Who christmas special, it was a great way to properly introduce Clara! In two episodes, Jenna Louise Coleman has made her "character" rather endearing and memorable. I especially love the last twenty mins or so of the episode, by the end my sister and I were going, 'wtf.' It was a brilliant ending and I'm so excited to find out who exactly Clara is.

 

[pixiedust1603]

Did anyone watch the first episode? I really think the Doctor and Clara will be involved romantically.

Oh and yay for David returning for the 50th anniversary special. I'm not too excited about Billlie's return.

 

[YoninahAliza]

Like you, I wouldn't be surprised if the Doctor and Clara became romantically involved. While on one hand I can totally see why it would happen but it does seem like taking the easy way out. It seems like so many of the Doctor's companions are romantically-linked in some way, Amy wasn't really but her daughter was, I kind of wish they would create another companion like Donna. Someone who's the doctor's best friend and where there wasn't a hint of romantic-vibes between the two. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll probably still freak out if/when they get together or whatever but it would be nice to see the female companions written a bit better.

Also I saw this on tumblr and was sort of amazed while reading it. While I do like some of Moffat's stories I think this might in part explain why I'm partial to RTD's episodes.

There is something called the Bechdel Test. It’s a scale you run movies through to basically see how conscious of female characters they are.

The test is as follows:
1. It must have at least two named female characters.
2. They must speak to each other.
3. They must converse about something other than a man. Anything with a score lower than 3 fails.

I’ve run all of the episodes of NewWho through this test and here are my results:

Percent of failed episodes written by RTD: 9.7%
By Moffat: 55.6%
Percent of episodes in which there were two named female characters, but they didn’t speak to one another by RTD: 9.7%
By Moffat: 16.7%
Percent of episodes without two named female characters by RTD: 0%
By Moffat: 5.6%
Percent of failed episodes with RTD as showrunner (including those written by other writers 20%
With Moffat: 67.8%
Percent of episodes in which there were two named female characters, but they didn’t speak to one another with RTD as showrunner: 10%
With Moffat: 25%
Percent of episodes without two named female characters with RTD as showrunner: 0%
With Moffat: 25%
Total percent of failed episodes: 35.2%
Total percent of episodes in which there were two named female characters, but they didn’t speak to one another: 14.8%
Total percent of episodes without two named female characters: 8%

RTD did a lot better than Moffat. This is not a go at him, just facts.

Over half of SM’s episodes failed. RTD neither wrote or was showrunner to an episode with less than two named female characters. Moffat wrote one episode with less than two named female characters, and a staggering 25% (1/4!) of episodes with him as showrunner did not include more than one named female character.

http://theoncomingwolf.tumblr.com/post/26155227053/doctor-who-bechdel-test