I liked this one.
|
Wow, I REALLY liked this one. Apparently this is the first episode written by Peter Harness, and it feels like he took all of those complaints so many of us had since the Matt Smith years and finally acknowledged them.
FINALLY Jenna Coleman gets to do something with Clara. FINALLY The Doctor is challenged by a 'lowly' human over the trajectory the character has taken for the past four years. FINALLY we get a secondary female character whose arc is not defined by her relationship status. TWO even, although one is 14-years-old. And we've spent three whole episodes (going on 4!) without being in Victorian London, with 2 1/2 of those actually being on other worlds. (I'm counting the moon as 1/2.)
It wasn't perfect - I felt like the whole thing with Courtney not feeling 'special' was a tad overblown (Kind of on the Doctor's side here, tbh.) and the Tumblr jokes are already dated and, I know this is my own hang-up, but Capaldi's accent makes divining what he's saying a chore sometimes - but it was so much better than the show has been in a long time.
I'm still ambivalent about Capaldi, but I liked him more this episode than any of the rest of Season 8. They managed to keep him gruff but returned that sense of wonder and excitement.
I really hope the rest of the season has more in common with this and less in common with "Deep Breath".
Best episode of the young season. I think i missed the explanation in the end on why the moon was still there? I was glad she told him off and i did like references to older doctors (yo-yo).
Best episode of the young season. I think i missed the explanation in the end on why the moon was still there? I was glad she told him off and i did like references to older doctors (yo-yo).
(edited, original series episode name corrected)
Regarding the latest Episode, 'Kill the Moon' (warning, overtones of rant in places):
** spoiler omitted **Although oddly I didn't find River-Song very Mills & Boon at all; possibly because she seemed more of a 'woman of action' than anything else...
Who are Mills & Boon?
I had to Google it as well. It's the British publisher of Harlequin romance novels.
No, not unique. They just operate under a different name. Here in the states they're referred to as Harlequin romance stories.
While New Who has certainly had more romantic sub plots than Classic Who I don't think any of them approached "Mills & Boons" level, assuming that essentially the same as Harlequin romances. Much closer to the romance plots common in most adventure fiction.
I didn't actually like the Rose/Doctor love affair, largely because it added a certain validity to much of the old fan slash speculation and really set the Doctor up in the role of "creepy old man using his flashy time/space ship to pick up chicks". Which he really never was in the Classic series.
River Song, despite some issues with the storyline, worked much better, since she was much closer to a match for him.
In Human Nature/The Family of Blood the Mills & Boon element of the story was actually the main-plot, as far as I recall...
But is was John Smith not the Doctor who was involved in the Mills & Boon element.
But is was John Smith not the Doctor who was involved in the Mills & Boon element.While New Who has certainly had more romantic sub plots than Classic Who I don't think any of them approached "Mills & Boons" level, assuming that essentially the same as Harlequin romances. Much closer to the romance plots common in most adventure fiction.
I didn't actually like the Rose/Doctor love affair, largely because it added a certain validity to much of the old fan slash speculation and really set the Doctor up in the role of "creepy old man using his flashy time/space ship to pick up chicks". Which he really never was in the Classic series.
River Song, despite some issues with the storyline, worked much better, since she was much closer to a match for him.
In Human Nature/The Family of Blood the Mills & Boon element of the story was actually the main-plot, as far as I recall...
I wouldn't say that was really Mills & Boon.
From what I can tell (because I actually haven't read them...but from what I've heard) Mills and Boon are more...Hmmm...As I tell my wife...those books are like porn in book form. Much more scandalous...like what you'd expect from Torchwood maybe (though actually, Torchwood isn't even close to being that scandalous, they are still rather family friendly in regards to the entire showing of anything offensive...so maybe not there either).
That type of plot in Who would be more like the Little House on the Prairie (later books) or Anne of Green Gables types of romance as a plot point.
(IMO of course).
I think Clara's soon to get into another heated argument with Pink, who is turning out to be the rebound boyfriend. He told her not to lie to him, and then that's what she does before running off with the Doctor again. This won't end well. (Then again, the actress has already said she's gone after this year's Christmas episode, so...)
Edit: I'm also starting to make comparisons between this situation and Ten/Rose/Mickey. Granted, it looks like they're making this less about the Doctor and more about Clara not wanting to give up the excitement...which is how it started with Rose in the first place.
best episode yet of the current season!. Must have missed something though as it was full of brilliant minds and yet the mother/daughter did not appear to be scientists.
Not all the passengers on the train were there to research the issue, some we're there to provide leverage to make them do the research as was shown by the cooks.
Really liked last Saturday's episode. The Doctor that episode I feel hit the perfect point where he was just condescending/blunt enough to be amusing, without sliding into unlikeable $%#@hole territory. Also the bad guys were creepy without going into full cheese mode.
agreed. last 2 episodes have been better. loved the hand and the train
|
It's better than that, Marik. A mirror was held up to the both of them. The Doctor got an outsider's view of what it's like to be him, and I think for the first time this incarnation, he got it. Clara got called on her issues as well - she's cheating on Danny with the Doctor. Not sexually, but that's not how she gets her kicks. She's addicted to adventuring with the Doctor, and she's been lying to Danny about this for some time now. And she did exactly the same sort of things she called him on earlier in the series. She was short, she was condescending, she acted like she knew better than everyone else involved, and she started lying to people to get them to do what she wanted. She may say that she doesn't want to travel with him because she doesn't like what he's become, but the truth of the matter is that she can be just as calculating as him - and that's not good.
Excellent two episodes in a row.
And then they follow it up with what might be the single worst episode in years. There was almost nothing redeemable about that episode.
The most harrowing episode since The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.
Also, incidental detail;
Wow...didn't see that coming.
I mean it's been speculated that it's possible and they even mentioned that the Corsair had a tendancy to do so
but that was still a surprise
I enjoyed that immensely, although I can't say I am at all shocked on the identity of a certain someone. In fact I think playing it up as some sort of huge mystery all season probably hurt the season more than helped.
It suprised me. I had two other contenders in my head.
Cheers
Mark
|
And then they follow it up with what might be the single worst episode in years. There was almost nothing redeemable about that episode.If you're referring to 'In the Forest of the Night' it was fun children's television, at its most fluffy and 'awwwwww'. You may very well have seen future stars there, as child-actors.
Now as to whether it's Doctor Who?...
(The immediately previous two episodes, 'Mummy on the Orient Express' and 'Flatline' both seem to have had the same writer, 'Jamie Mathieson'. 'In the Forest of the Night' was apparently written by 'Frank Cottrell Boyce'. Different writers, different styles of story.)
Worth noting that Frank Cottrell Boyce is better known as a novelist who writes funny, tender and often emotional books for children (10-14 range). He wrote Millions and Cosmic.
He is an experienced script-writer as well, but I imagine he tapped his children's writer side for this one.
As I have spent most of the series complaining that it is too scary/gory for kids, I don't mind at all. It's supposed to be kids TV.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As I have spent most of the series complaining that it is too scary/gory for kids, I don't mind at all. It's supposed to be kids TV.
It's supposed to be scary kids TV - scaring kids is kind of the point. Like most other Brits, I have fond memories of watching it from behind the sofa or from under a blanket. If kids don't usually want to hide at some point, it's not scary enough.
|
|
I think somebody else already summed up how I felt about the beginning of this finale, so I'll just quote them (saw it as a post on my FB feed and couldn't find it again, so not trying to deny credit - just can't remember exactly who it was). The quote and my reaction are in spoiler tags for obvious reasons):
Things Moffat Can't Write:
1. Women
2. The Master
Things Moffat Wrote Anyway:
1. A female Master.
So The Master got reduced to just another dominatrix-archetype that Moffat is obsessed with. And she's romantically interested in the Doctor now because of-!@#%ing-course she is. Sure, they always had some sort of romantic tension, but I guess she was just waiting until she generated a vagina to capitalize on it. Makes perfect sense for a race Moffat himself described as not really caring about gender when it came to sexuality.
And oh yeah, remember that great moment at the end of Season 4 that wrapped up the Master story arc with him heroically sacrificing himself for The Doctor? Well, screw that, because we have to literally reset or discount everything that happened in previous eras because nothing before Matt Smith was worth keeping. I mean, obviously, right?!
Ugh, I was starting to feel hopeful for Season Eight. From Kill the Moon on it seemed to be getting better, but here we are, back to the same old Moffat crap.
I really hope he's done after season 9.
I think somebody else already summed up how I felt about the beginning of this finale, so I'll just quote them (saw it as a post on my FB feed and couldn't find it again, so not trying to deny credit - just can't remember exactly who it was). The quote and my reaction are in spoiler tags for obvious reasons):
** spoiler omitted **
I dunno, I can' hold it against Moffat for bringing back The Master. He is probably one of the most iconic bad guys in Doctor Who, and one of the few who takes the form of an individual person, not a race. There really was absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Master would return EVENTUALLY.
The Masters obsession turning into sort of a twisted love I think also is not an out of left field event. And if that was some sort of subconscious thing the entire time...might explain why The Masters attempts were so easily foiled and overcomplicated.
|
|
** spoiler omitted **I think somebody else already summed up how I felt about the beginning of this finale, so I'll just quote them (saw it as a post on my FB feed and couldn't find it again, so not trying to deny credit - just can't remember exactly who it was). The quote and my reaction are in spoiler tags for obvious reasons):
** spoiler omitted **
1. Why is it "The Mistress"? Master is a perfectly acceptable, gender neutral term. I would let that slide, but seeing Moffat's obsession with dominatrix types, I think there's an 'ick 'factor involved here.
2. I don't mind The Master/The Doctor having that romantic tension. But she just out-and-out jumped him, referred to him as her "boyfriend", etc. etc. Either keep the subtext similar to how it was (which was very, very sub) or don't touch it at all. I could complain all day about it being sexist and homophobic, but at the end of the day it just really bothers me because this is the most obnoxious power-fantasy, wish fulfillment cliche crap that is the worst aspect of Moffat's writing. He does it on Sherlock, too. Gender swaps a major bad guy and then makes them in love with the main character. As if to shove it in the audience's face, "Gee, look how great my protagonist is! Even the villain can't help herself!"
3. The Master is supposed to be this dark mirror image of the Doctor. If you remember him in S3 and S4 he had that same sort of giddiness, that sort of boyish enthusiasm that marked the 10th Doctor. But it turned to something sinister in John Simms' hands. This incarnation is indistinguishable from Madame Kovarian, Tasha Lem, Ms. Delphox - really every other female villain Moffat has ever written, right into Irene Adler in Sherlock. Why on earth do I care that it's The Master if she's just the same damn villain from the past two seasons with a new name?
As a long time who fan i was not shocked at the villian. Was not a fan of the children forest episode. Felt like one of those episodes they make for charity.
I hope they explain a ton in the season finale. Also after next week when should we expect new who?xmas?
A single Christmas special episode and then a long wait for the next season to start.
|
|
I find kinky Mary Poppins Master to be far superior to chicken-gulping Electro Master.
If every S1-S4 male villain was chicken-gulping Electro Master, I would be inclined to agree.
Actually, at the time "Electro Master" wasn't really my favorite. Especially the last appearance, which felt like a letdown after the preceding two episodes. But at least I immediately recognized him as his own thing. I seriously thought the first time I saw her that they just brought Madame Kovarian back.
really? I thought that episode did an excellent job of tying together and balancing all the themes from this season. Clara as doctor, Is the Doctor a good man? Clara and Danny's relationship, The doctor having soldiers that do his dirty work for him, etc.
