New Doctor Who

[ccrobinson]

Apparently, the most recent thing I posted isn't a trailer, but merely a promotion for The Day of the Doctor. The trailer will be released tomorrow and once I find it, I'll post a link.

At the time David Tennant left the show, I was a member of the Doctor Who forum on Syfy and an exercise was started to determine which 10 story was the best. The mechanics of it aren't important, but the end result was that Blink was voted the best 10 story, which annoys me to no end. Blink was great, but how can a story that doesn't feature the Doctor be the best Tennant story? The correct answer should have been Human Nature/Family of Blood, which is one of the shows I've ever seen on television. Ever.

Now that we're approaching The Fall of the Eleventh (I might be wrong, but I think that's the title of Matt Smith's last episode), what is your vote for best Matt Smith story? Leading up to The Day of the Doctor, I've been watching all the Doctor Who shows that I have and I'm up to The Girl Who Waited. Picking just 1 story for Matt Smith is every bit as difficult as it was picking just 1 for David Tennant.

I don't have my own answer for this yet, but I'm curious what everybody who comes to this thread thinks. What's your pick for best Matt Smith story?

 

[InTheLight]

Yeah, the trailer is supposed to be out tomorrow around 2:00 CST. I wonder if it will be viewable in the U.S.? Sometimes stuff on the BBC website is not viewable here, but since the Day of the Doctor will be simulcast all over the world they may allow the trailer to be see here (or else on BBC America.)

The best 10th Doctor story is Midnight. I do think Human Nature/Family of Blood is very good, certainly in the top 5. HN/FoB is definitely Tennant's finest acting performance.Turn Left is also a very good story. Blink deserves to be in the top 5 as well, though I understand your reservations.

The best 11th Doctor story? Tough to say. I really liked The Doctor's Wife since it provided a lot of backstory on the Tardis and was a good story to boot. The Name of the Doctor was also very good, but I have to see how they resolve the story. I also liked The Eleventh Hour and The Lodger. I guess I'd go with The Doctor's Wife, but that could change.

 

[ccrobinson]

In this 14 second clip, Clara declares, "but that's not possible."

I have no idea what it is, but I'm happy to provide a guess. I think they're looking at a painting of the Fall of Arcadia.

I wonder if it will be viewable in the U.S.?

It will be. Unlike what happened at Comic Con, Moffat will want everybody to see the trailer.


Midnight is a great choice for best Tennant story. Here's my Top 7.

1. Human Nature/Family of Blood
2. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
3. Midnight
4. The Girl in the Fireplace
5. Blink
6. Turn Left
7. School Reunion


The Doctor's Wife might be my choice for best 11th story, too.

 

[ccrobinson]

Here it is.

 

[InTheLight]

Here it is.

Hard to glean any plot clues with the rapid cut editing, however near the end it appears that the Doctors are in separate Tardises and are simultaneously engaging the controls. Thanks for posting this as I was able to scoop my teenage sons and point them to the trailer before they could tell me about it.

 

[ccrobinson]

After weeks and months with nothing, the Beeb releases 2 of them today.

Here's trailer #2.

 

[ccrobinson]

This.

The Night of the Doctor.

Brilliant.

 

[InTheLight]

This.

The Night of the Doctor.

Brilliant.

Yes, it's awesome. Probably the most intense 5 minutes in Dr. Who history. McGann is a great actor. This just makes me feel cheated that he never got to play the Doctor on the TV series. When he is told he has less than 4 minutes to live I loved his deadpan response--"That's an eternity...bring me knitting."

So he regenerates into the John Hurt Doctor. What will fandom call this Doctor? Eight-and-a-half? The War Doctor? BTW, the reflection of the newly regenerated Doctor is much younger looking than John Hurt, implying this Doctor could be the longest incarnation of his life. I also suppose it means we will see Hurt regenerate into the Eccleston Doctor.

 

[ccrobinson]

The War Doctor?

That's what he's called in the credits, so I suppose that will probably be it.

I also suppose it means we will see Hurt regenerate into the Eccleston Doctor.

It's been said that Eccleston didn't want any part of the 50th, shades of Tom Baker in 1983 apparently, so if we do, maybe see him from the back or something like that. Or, since they kept McGann a secret, maybe this is another secret being kept.

... implying this Doctor could be the longest incarnation of his life

Agreed. Considering how slowly Time Lords age, I'm guessing the Last Great Time War lasted somewhere around 200 years or so.

 

[InTheLight]

It's been said that Eccleston didn't want any part of the 50th, shades of Tom Baker in 1983 apparently, so if we do, maybe see him from the back or something like that. Or, since they kept McGann a secret, maybe this is another secret being kept.

I'm thinking they have some out-takes from 2005 that they could use for the regeneration scene. Throw in some FX and you've got it.

Forgot to mention in my previous post that the Tom-Doc story that the Sisterhood of Karn originally appeared in, "The Brain of Morbius" was a pathetic story.

 

[ccrobinson]

I don't think I'd call it pathetic, but it wasn't bad. I watched it recently and rather liked it. Love the scene where the Doctor confronts Morbius.

Doctor: "You can't really go around calling yourself Morbius. There's very little of Morbius left. Why don't you think of another name? Potpourri would be appropriate."

Sarah Jane: "How about chop suey?"

Doctor: "Chop Suey, the Galactic Emperor."

:laugh:

I'm guessing the Last Great Time War lasted somewhere around 200 years or so.

I've been thinking about this since I posted it. Considering the Doctor aged 200 years over the course of S7, and how aged the War Doctor, or Warrior, as he called himself, is from regeneration to the end of The Name of the Doctor, perhaps around 500 years is more like it. Or, maybe the idea of fighting the war in the first place ages him so much.

 

[InTheLight]

I don't think I'd call it pathetic, but it wasn't bad. I watched it recently and rather liked it. Love the scene where the Doctor confronts Morbius.

Doctor: "You can't really go around calling yourself Morbius. There's very little of Morbius left. Why don't you think of another name? Potpourri would be appropriate."

Sarah Jane: "How about chop suey?"

Doctor: "Chop Suey, the Galactic Emperor."

:laugh:

The story can't decide if it's a satire or serious. There is very little tension. Most of the production takes place in two rooms. Professor Solon terribly overacts, more than usual for a Doctor Who story. It's boring. Sigh. It's been a long time since I've watched it.

 

[InTheLight]

Did I ever mention how wretched The End of Time is? We talk about how Fear Her is so bad, but The End of Time is the worse 10 story there is.

BBC America had it on last night and I saw the last hour and a half. That truly is bad storytelling. Even for Doctor Who it was far-fetched and unbelievable. Not just the entire population turning into the Master, not lightning bolts flying out of the Master's hands, not the Master being able to fly, not the stupid Star Wars like shooting down of missiles by Wilf, not the Doctor falling to earth from over a mile crashing through a glass dome and surviving, not the planet Gallifrey entering our solar system and closely tracking earth with no gravitational repercussions whatsoever, not the Doctor absorbing millions of rads of radiation without immediately regenerating, and not the sappy farewell tour the Doctor went on with his companions. I guess the really stupid and far-fetched thing for me were the gas jets shooting flames out of the floor of the Tardis control room, fires in the console room in general, and parts of the Tardis crumbling and falling down during the regeneration scene.

This was followed by the introduction of the manic, frenzied eleventh Doctor which served as a condensed retroactive summary of why his personality was grating on me by about mid-way through his era.

 

[ccrobinson]

Not just the entire population turning into the Master, not lightning bolts flying out of the Master's hands, not the Master being able to fly, not the stupid Star Wars like shooting down of missiles by Wilf

It was like RTD had a bunch of ideas that he didn't get to do and wanted to, so he just shoehorned them into a story that made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

not the Doctor falling to earth from over a mile crashing through a glass dome and surviving

I watched it recently as well, and I think they flew in low so that he wouldn't fall that far, but still, I think he fell farther in Logopolis and regenerated.

not the planet Gallifrey entering our solar system and closely tracking earth with no gravitational repercussions whatsoever

Just another facepalm moment in RTD's era.

not the Doctor absorbing millions of rads of radiation without immediately regenerating

I'm Ok with this one. Remember the Doctor wandered about lost in the Time Vortex for an unspecified amount of time after being irradiated during his confrontation with the Great One on Metebelis Three. Plus, he was doing everything he possibly could to stop the regeneration, not wanting to go through the agony of being pretty much torn apart.

and not the sappy farewell tour the Doctor went on with his companions.

I hated this so much. Do you know why RTD had Mickey the Idiot and Martha Jones get married? Because he thought the Smith and Jones pairing was funny.

I guess the really stupid and far-fetched thing for me were the gas jets shooting flames out of the floor of the Tardis control room, fires in the console room in general, and parts of the Tardis crumbling and falling down during the regeneration scene.

Ironiclly, I had the least amount of problems with this. Prior to 8, the Doctor's regeneration was never as violent as it is now. In the Night of the Doctor, the Sisterhood give him the elixir that causes regeneration and made it hurt and made it more violent. Clearly, that's affected subsequent regenerations. Combine the intensity of the regeneration with the expelling of the radiation and you get a regeneration that's violent and destructive.

This was followed by the introduction of the manic, frenzied eleventh Doctor

He's not that much different than 10 was. 8 was pretty similar in Night of the Doctor as well. Matt Smith's appearance was the best part of The End of Time.

 

[ccrobinson]

The Day of the Doctor is completely brilliant.

Have to give it some time to breathe, but it might be the best 11 story.

 

[evenifigoalone]

So, is the 11th Dr the newest one?

I'm not terribly familiar with this show, this marathon on TV and The Day of the Doctor was the first I've really watched of it. And it's brilliant.

 

[ccrobinson]

is the 11th Dr the newest one?

Yes, until Christmas when he regenerates.

To truly understand what happened today, you should go back and watch as much Doctor Who as possible. :thumbs:

I say that The Day of the Doctor might be the best 11 story, but we haven't seen Silence Will Fall yet, so we'll have to reserve judgment until next year.

BTW, I wouldn't recommend reading through this thread. We tried to avoid spoilers, but weren't always successful.

 

[Don]

The Day of the Doctor is completely brilliant.

Have to give it some time to breathe, but it might be the best 11 story.

AGREED!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Don]

Okay, I need some help, re: "The End of Time." The events in that episode occur 2 years of the Doctor's life (Tennant) after the events in "The Day of the Doctor." But it would seem that the Gallifrey in "End of Time" is just a few moments before or the same moments as "Day." Is that correct?

But if it is, then "End's" Gallifrey was gone for a few moments, and would have resulted in the Dalek cross-fire they achieved in "Day," negating the need for "Day's" Dalek cross-fire?....

 

[InTheLight]

Okay, I need some help, re: "The End of Time." The events in that episode occur 2 years of the Doctor's life (Tennant) after the events in "The Day of the Doctor." But it would seem that the Gallifrey in "End of Time" is just a few moments before or the same moments as "Day." Is that correct?

But if it is, then "End's" Gallifrey was gone for a few moments, and would have resulted in the Dalek cross-fire they achieved in "Day," negating the need for "Day's" Dalek cross-fire?....

It is confusing. Yes, if Gallifrey was displaced in The End of Time one would think the Daleks would self destroy, if there was the huge battle occurring when Gallifrey disappeared.

I don't know if I can answer your question or not. Continuity in Doctor Who is tricky. I suppose in TEoT Gallifrey could have been returned to the exact moment it left and the Daleks would not have noticed.

Apparently there are two timey-wimey gimmicks occurring here: A Time Lock and the Zygon Time Freeze. The Time Lock is a mechanism whereby Time Lords on Gallifrey are kept isolated in a fixed space/time. This is used in TEoT. The Zygon Time Freeze essentially freezes time. This is used by the 13 Doctors in DotD.

As is his habit Steven Moffatt does not fully explain things. He didn't explain the end result of the Zygon sub plot - - What was the result of the negotiations?

I doubt the events of the two stories could have happened on the same day. For one, Tennant is in present day Earth battling the Master in TEoT and preventing Rassilon from initiating The Final Sanction (whereby the entire universe would be destroyed and Time Lords elevated to sentient pure energy). For another, in TEoT Gallifrey is in a Time Lock so presumably no time travel to/from Gallifrey would be possible, meaning all Doctors could not converge in their Tardises and create the Time Freeze.

Also, if Gallifrey was displaced to our solar system wouldn't the War Council have noticed that? And wouldn't there have been Dalek ships carried along?

I spent a good hour trying to reconcile these two stories and I give up.