New Doctor Who

[ccrobinson]

There's so much that goes into a good story on television. Writing, directing, production values, etc. are all important. But without good acting, whatever the show is will fail. There's numerous examples of this through the years, and I present "Vincent and the Doctor" as the latest example of brilliant acting. The writing, directing and production values are all well and good, but without the brilliance of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Tony Curran as Vincent (not forgetting Bill Nighy's cameo), the story fails.

I don't remember the last time I saw an actor nearly bring me to tears with just a look. That look was from MS. The look was of the Doctor knowing that time hadn't been rewritten in regards to Vincent. Very sad.

It may too early to say this, considering there are 3 episodes to go in the season, but this is shaping up to be the best season in Doctor Who history. The worst story of the season may have been Victory of the Daleks, but Victory of the Daleks is far better than the worst story of the RTD era.

 

[Matt Black]

Agreed. Those last five minutes in the Musee d'Orsay brought tears to my eyes. Brilliant acting all round. The monster was a bit pathetic but then it wasn't really about the monster was it? This marks in some ways a return to one of DW's roots: the intention to be educational - Richard Curtis the writer manages to teach us a little bit about the history of art and also bi-polar disorder, almost without our realising it. 9.5 out of 10 (the -0.5 was for the monster).

 

[ccrobinson]

There's been no let-up from The Lodger in terms of excellent episodes.

I loved this exchange.

Doctor (paraphrasing): So, all I have to do is fit in as a human. I can do that. Easy.

Amy: Have you seen you?

:laugh:


Almost as funny as when she called him a "bow-tie wearing idiot" in Amy's Choice.

 

[ccrobinson]

Silence has fallen. I don't really know what to say about The Pandorica Opens other than it's brilliant. Wish it was 26062010 tomorrow.

Just for fun, let's rank the season finale cliffhanger episodes. This doesn't include Time of the Angels, Utopia, etc.


1. The Pandorica Opens - It's that good to be placed at the top.

2. Bad Wolf - A very, very close 2nd. The Doctor's speech to the Daleks about what he's going to do to rescue Rose was fantastic.

3. The Sound of Drums - Chilling ending with the Master ordering the slaughter of 600,000,000 people by the Toclafane.

4. Army of Ghosts - Cybermen. Daleks before they became overused. What's not to like?

5. The Stolen Earth - The Doctor and Rose reunited, but not as much of a cliffhanger as you might think since we knew the Doctor wasn't going to change and we sort of knew how.


The true test of a 2 parter is whether the resolution ends up being as good as the cliffhanger. Here's my ranking of the season finales thus far.

1. Parting of the Ways - Fantastic. The look on the Doctor's face when Rose/TARDIS says, "I want you safe." The paradox of "I create myself." Complete Deux ex Machina, but done brilliantly.

2. Doomsday - One of the season finale resolutions that made sense and the loss of Rose was a tough one to take.

3. Last of the Time Lords - Such a disappointment after the promise of Utopia and Sound of Drums.

4. Journey's End - Ugh. What RTD did to Donna was horrible. She deserved so much better. It would have been better to have remembered Rose after Doomsday, not after what happened here.

5. The End of Time - It's a finale and should go here and I hated it. My wife and I were talking about it earlier today. Tennant, Simm, Cribbins, et. al., did the best they could with what they were given, but what they were given was bad. The Ood didn't make sense at all. What RTD did to Donna and Martha and Mickey made no sense either. Matt Smith's 2 minutes on-screen was the best part.

I fully expect The Big Bang to take the top spot next week.

 

[Matt Black]

Hope so - how does the Moff get out of that?!

 

[ccrobinson]

Enough spoiler alerts. Matt and I are the only ones who post here and we're both caught up on Doctor Who episodes.

I have more thoughts on the Pandorica.

#1, I don't think the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, etc. are real. Well, not exactly not real. They're as real as Amy and Rory are.

#2, whoever is controlling the TARDIS has brought the fake Daleks, Cybermen, etc. back to AD 102 because neither the Cybermen, nor the Sontarans, among others, know how to travel through time. I simply don't believe that the Daleks shared their knowledge of time travel with anybody, even in an alliance against the Doctor.

#3, the Daleks made an alliance with the Cybermen? Last time we saw those 2, they were taunting and fighting each other. For that matter, since when do the Daleks make alliances with anybody? If the Daleks figured out this very clever scheme, why would they need the Sontarans or the Cybermen or the Judoon? Who else but the Daleks could have devised this plan?

 

[Matt Black]

You're forgetting the Ogrons. OK, not exactly a partnership as the Ogrons were clearly the subservient party, but we do at least have that as a precedent for Daleks cooperating with other species.

 

[ccrobinson]

Good point. I had forgotten about the Ogrons, likely because I considered them more of slaves to the Daleks rather than an alliance partner. Which is the problem with any alliance with the Daleks. In order to be in an alliance with the Daleks, the Daleks have to consider you to be an equal to them. The Cybermen are about as equal to the Daleks as anybody, and the Daleks still see them as inferior.

Cyberleader: There are 5 million Cybermen. You would destroy us with 4 Daleks?

Dalek: We would destroy you with 1 Dalek. You are superior in only 1 way.

Cyberleader: What is that?

Dalek: You are better at dying.


I still find it impossible to believe that the Daleks joined up with the Cybermen, Sontarans, etc. to make an alliance against the Doctor.

 

[Jon-Marc]

I liked all of the Doctor Who shows and would like to see new ones. I keep reading about new ones but don't see them here, and it's very disappointing.

 

[ccrobinson]

I keep reading about new ones but don't see them here, and it's very disappointing.

Not sure what you mean, Jon-Marc. Please elaborate and I'll be happy to help you.

 

[ccrobinson]

S5 ended with The Big Bang last Saturday.

It's utterly brilliant.

Questions I asked after Victory of the Daleks.

Q. Why doesn't Amy recognize the Daleks?

A. I'm not exactly sure. The only answer I have is that the crack in her wall must have taken that information from her.


Q. Going back to The Eleventh Hour, why was Rory's hospital badge dated 1990, but the technology the Doctor used was from 2010?

A. Because Rory had been erased by the Crack, then brought back by whomever was using the Nestenes, but he wasn't brought back exactly right.


Q. What's the Pandorica?
A. See "The Pandorica Opens".


Q. Is Amy causing the cracks, or are the cracks following her? Or, since the crack looks the same, is it the same crack everytime?
A. No, no and no.


Q. Again going back to The Eleventh Hour, where are Amy's parents? Where is her aunt?
A. As I told my wife after I rewatched it last night, when Amelia said, "Don't have a mum and dad", we took it to mean that she was an orphan by death of her parents, or something like that. She was an orphan all right, but in a completely different way than expected. No wonder she was so terrified of the Crack. It went beyond the voice. She likely watched her friend Rory and her parents get swallowed up by it, then forgot about them and forgot that it happened. Besides hearing the voices, she only knew that the crack was scary, but didn't truly know why it was scary.

Solid resolutions to the storylines, plus hints of things to come in S6. Excellent season of DW.

 

[Don]

Q. Why doesn't Amy recognize the Daleks?

A. I'm not exactly sure. The only answer I have is that the crack in her wall must have taken that information from her.

-----
My take: Because in the "fractured timeline universe" (of which, Amy with no parents was a product), the Daleks ceased to exist/didn't happen (i.e., were swallowed by the crack and "forgotten," like so many other people/things).

 

[Johnathon E]

Enough spoiler alerts. Matt and I are the only ones who post here and we're both caught up on Doctor Who episodes.

I have more thoughts on the Pandorica.

#1, I don't think the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, etc. are real. Well, not exactly not real. They're as real as Amy and Rory are.

#2, whoever is controlling the TARDIS has brought the fake Daleks, Cybermen, etc. back to AD 102 because neither the Cybermen, nor the Sontarans, among others, know how to travel through time. I simply don't believe that the Daleks shared their knowledge of time travel with anybody, even in an alliance against the Doctor.

#3, the Daleks made an alliance with the Cybermen? Last time we saw those 2, they were taunting and fighting each other. For that matter, since when do the Daleks make alliances with anybody? If the Daleks figured out this very clever scheme, why would they need the Sontarans or the Cybermen or the Judoon? Who else but the Daleks could have devised this plan?

Okay I racked my brain and the only Dalek alliance I could remember was "Mission to the Unknown" way back in season three of the original series (first doctor - William Hartnell). It's been awhile since I've seen it but I'm pretty sure they double crossed their "allies" then anyway.

Even though it may be out of character for them, it was still pretty cool to see all of the doctor's villains on the screen at one time and slowly locking him up against his protests. It definitely had me on my seat for the finale.

 

[ccrobinson]

Okay I racked my brain and the only Dalek alliance I could remember was "Mission to the Unknown" way back in season three of the original series (first doctor - William Hartnell). It's been awhile since I've seen it but I'm pretty sure they double crossed their "allies" then anyway.

You're forgetting the Ogrons.

The Daleks made an "alliance" with the Ogrons in Day of the Daleks.

it was still pretty cool to see all of the doctor's villains on the screen at one time and slowly locking him up against his protests.

I thought it was even cooler when the Doctor challenged them to take the Pandorica from him.

Doctor: The question of the hour is, "Who has The Pandorica?" Answer. I do. Next question. Who's going to take it from me? Look at me. No defenses. No plans. No weapons worth a d***. And one other thing. I have nothing to lose."

Well, that's not a perfect quote, but you get the idea. I loved that speech.

 

[Johnathon E]

The Daleks made an "alliance" with the Ogrons in Day of the Daleks.




I thought it was even cooler when the Doctor challenged them to take the Pandorica from him.

Doctor: The question of the hour is, "Who has The Pandorica?" Answer. I do. Next question. Who's going to take it from me? Look at me. No defenses. No plans. No weapons worth a d***. And one other thing. I have nothing to lose."

Well, that's not a perfect quote, but you get the idea. I loved that speech.

I thought the Daleks just used the Ogrons in Day of the Daleks and didn't have a true alliance. Then again it has been "cough" years since I've seen the Pertwee episodes.

+1 for the showdown speech being a great scene. Got to love a hero whose main weapon is the English Language (Or Gallifreyan depending on how you look at it!)

 

[ccrobinson]

I thought the Daleks just used the Ogrons in Day of the Daleks and didn't have a true alliance.

I agree with you and I think Matt does as well, considering the use of the quotes around "alliance". Not really a true alliance and even after the events of The Big Bang, I remain convinced of this.

I still find it impossible to believe that the Daleks joined up with the Cybermen, Sontarans, etc. to make an alliance against the Doctor.

Then again it has been "cough" years since I've seen the Pertwee episodes.

Me too. I'm going to dig up Day of the Daleks and watch again. Might have to spend some time from now until Christmas watching all the Pertwee episodes again.

Got to love a hero whose main weapon is the English Language (Or Gallifreyan depending on how you look at it!)

Remember the great line from Parting of the Ways.

The Doctor's talking to the Emperor.

Daleks: Do not interrupt.
Doctor: I think you're forgetting something. I'm the Doctor and if there's one thing I can do, it's talk. I know 5 billion languages and you haven't got one way to stop me, so if anybody's going to shut up, IT'S YOU!!!

The Oncoming Storm makes the Daleks back off. Awesome.


Speaking of the Daleks backing off, who is River Song? I think it's pretty clear that she's not human. Do you know who the last human was we saw making a Dalek beg for mercy? That's right, nobody.

 

[ccrobinson]

Not much to say about Doctor Who since the brilliant season finale.

Then I saw this and I love the news.

As opposed to RTD who kept bringing the Daleks back even if he didn't have a good story, The Mighty Moff isn't going to make the same mistake.


He said: "There will be a Dalek story when we've got a good idea for a Dalek story. [When that happens], there will be lots of different kinds of Daleks."


This is pretty much exactly what Moff set us up for in Victory of the Daleks as far as having different kinds of Daleks. I'd love to see a season without the Daleks.

 

[Thinkingstuff]

I still haven't seen the last season of Dr. Who and am waiting for it to come out to DVD in the States. I'm rubbing my hands in anticipation.

 

[ccrobinson]

Doctor Who trivia question.

What's Amelia Pond's middle name? No fair Googling

 

[Matt Black]

Oooh, an easy one! Jessica.