This Week's Doctor Who Is Must-Watch Sci-Fi
- Thread starter harpere
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I found "Flatline" to be an average Doctor Who episode (which is still an above average sci-fi show.) It was nice to see Capaldi speechify at last.
And while I call this an average episode, it was still a very necessary episode. "Listen" showed us the Doctor who obsesses, "Kill the Moon" showed us the Doctor who washes his hands. "Mummy on the Orient Express" let us glimpse at the Doctor's thought processes.
"Flatline" let Clara herself realize the "deadly calculus of war" and why the Doctor is not necessarily a good man, but he tries to be. For both "Kill the Moon" and "Mummy on the Orient Express" I kept thinking of the 11th Doctor's "Good Man Goes to War" and his line to Madame Kovarian, "Good men don't need rules... today is not the day to find out why I have so many."
And while I call this an average episode, it was still a very necessary episode. "Listen" showed us the Doctor who obsesses, "Kill the Moon" showed us the Doctor who washes his hands. "Mummy on the Orient Express" let us glimpse at the Doctor's thought processes.
"Flatline" let Clara herself realize the "deadly calculus of war" and why the Doctor is not necessarily a good man, but he tries to be. For both "Kill the Moon" and "Mummy on the Orient Express" I kept thinking of the 11th Doctor's "Good Man Goes to War" and his line to Madame Kovarian, "Good men don't need rules... today is not the day to find out why I have so many."
I enjoyed this one; with the exception of the first episode and Kill the Moon, this season's episodes have been pretty good. I like how this one started off using the concept of 'Clara as the Doctor' as an excuse for jokes and mucking around with classic iconography, but slowly got darker and more of a deconstruction as the episode went on.
I really liked the Addam's Family gag. That won't be topped for a while.
I really liked the Addam's Family gag. That won't be topped for a while.
If they hadn't bungled the "Doctor finds himself" so damn badly with the rest of the season, this would be a good payoff. As it is, it feels like this should have been the 2nd or 3rd episode in total, rather than the 9th. First time I actually felt like I was watching Dr. Who again: ridiculous villain powers, dangerous situations, extras getting picked off, and a big Doctor speech at the end.
Did not like it at first because once again it was mostly about Clara but as it had little to do with her boring love life I found myself enjoying it. The end was great, with the Doctor looking equal parts worried and ashamed at how Clara had changed.
Next week looks bad, not only do we have Clara's boring boyfriend but he is bringing a ton of kids with him.
Next week looks bad, not only do we have Clara's boring boyfriend but he is bringing a ton of kids with him.
I'm surprised they didn't liken this one to the episode about the Olympics back with Tennant and Piper, as it involves something that removes a person and puts them into 2-D space.
On a less antagonistic note, I was underwhelmed by the episode, but the ending did give me a good sense. I really wanted this Doctor to be more dark, and that last line does deliver on that a bit. Hopefully the show will keep it up and keep making us question whether the Doctor himself understands just what a bad man he is, and the struggle internally if that badness is outweighed by the good he does for the universe as a whole.
On a less antagonistic note, I was underwhelmed by the episode, but the ending did give me a good sense. I really wanted this Doctor to be more dark, and that last line does deliver on that a bit. Hopefully the show will keep it up and keep making us question whether the Doctor himself understands just what a bad man he is, and the struggle internally if that badness is outweighed by the good he does for the universe as a whole.
I have to admit I've been iffy on this season so far. I've been a big dr who fan for some time, but this doctor seems mean and mean spirited things I do not associate with the doctor. In this episode he referred to the supporting character as a pudding head at the very beginning and didn't want him around. The Doctor seems angry a lot. That being said I think I am starting to swing back. I also don't like how he treated the little girl and Dany Pink.
Things I like about this season so far:
- They seem to have gotten rid of or at least cut down heavily on the theme of "The Doctor as Romantic Interest". Since 2005 it seems like the doctor as potential boyfriend was heavily in play and I like that they've kind of nipped that in the but, I think it was one of the first lines that Peter Capaldi said. "I'm not your boyfriend" or something similar
- I like that Clara pushes back. It gives the character of the Doctor's Companion more well character
I also wounder why Danny hasn't joined in the adventures similar to Rory. I have to say I really like the Episodes with Amy and Rory. It allowed for an identifiable love story to happen in the background without the doctor being a love interest. Also in the one episode where Danny was more than just a few clips he seemed like he could be a very cool character. Complicated with a love/hate relationship with the military, but also not afraid to take on the aliens. They have put too much character development into him for him to just be the voice on the phone so I would guess that they have plans to make him a more active character which I think would be good for the show.
Things I like about this season so far:
- They seem to have gotten rid of or at least cut down heavily on the theme of "The Doctor as Romantic Interest". Since 2005 it seems like the doctor as potential boyfriend was heavily in play and I like that they've kind of nipped that in the but, I think it was one of the first lines that Peter Capaldi said. "I'm not your boyfriend" or something similar
- I like that Clara pushes back. It gives the character of the Doctor's Companion more well character
I also wounder why Danny hasn't joined in the adventures similar to Rory. I have to say I really like the Episodes with Amy and Rory. It allowed for an identifiable love story to happen in the background without the doctor being a love interest. Also in the one episode where Danny was more than just a few clips he seemed like he could be a very cool character. Complicated with a love/hate relationship with the military, but also not afraid to take on the aliens. They have put too much character development into him for him to just be the voice on the phone so I would guess that they have plans to make him a more active character which I think would be good for the show.
Well compared to the last 2 episodes, this one was great.
The whole idea of a real life 2D Universe, just that concept alone was amazingly well done during the episode.
Now I do wish the "monsters" we're given a little more something to them instead of just being generic bad creatures at the very end.
The idea that maybe they we're trying to communicate but didn't understand the harm they we're doing was the best route, so kinda felt disappointed just a bit in the end.
Clara's acting as the doctor was really good to watch and that last line..
Overall I'd give it the same score
4/5*
The whole idea of a real life 2D Universe, just that concept alone was amazingly well done during the episode.
Now I do wish the "monsters" we're given a little more something to them instead of just being generic bad creatures at the very end.
The idea that maybe they we're trying to communicate but didn't understand the harm they we're doing was the best route, so kinda felt disappointed just a bit in the end.
Clara's acting as the doctor was really good to watch and that last line..
Same. It was really intense, like a wake up slap intense.Tanis said:
Overall I'd give it the same score
4/5*
I liked this episode. I loved the Doctor's speech, but also it was good to see what the Doctor would be like if he was not in control.
I think it suited well that it came so late into the season. This Doctor more than anyone has to find out who he is by doing and being, and so do we the audience. This Doctor is said to be the 12th when in reality he's the 13th and the First in a new series of regenerations given to him at a time when he was convinced he would be dead.
The 11th (12th) had come to peace with his passing, having lived and fought well beyond what would be considered reasonable by any definition of sanity, and then all of a sudden he was, unexpectedly, given a next life.
The previous Doctors have had small similarities to their forebearers as their strings of lives, even though new and different, still was a continued and expected event.
The 13th regeneration is something unexpected, with the Galifreyans themselves having broken the rule they set up themselves, probably for a good reason too.
The 12 regeneration rules have been shown to be able to be broken. That means it was a rule rather than a natural restriction. We have no idea of the proces behind this rule, though if the behaviour of the 13th is any indication, it was most likely a very well thought out rule.
The 11th (12th) had come to peace with his passing, having lived and fought well beyond what would be considered reasonable by any definition of sanity, and then all of a sudden he was, unexpectedly, given a next life.
The previous Doctors have had small similarities to their forebearers as their strings of lives, even though new and different, still was a continued and expected event.
The 13th regeneration is something unexpected, with the Galifreyans themselves having broken the rule they set up themselves, probably for a good reason too.
The 12 regeneration rules have been shown to be able to be broken. That means it was a rule rather than a natural restriction. We have no idea of the proces behind this rule, though if the behaviour of the 13th is any indication, it was most likely a very well thought out rule.