Doctor Who: The Mad Man In A Blue Box Returns

[Soviet Heavy]

Danny Pink was the worst thing about this season. Thankfully, he and his creepy obsession with his girlfriend's private life blew up in the end. All he did this season was create artificial conflict for Clara, which was pointless because she had some absolutely fantastic conflict with the Doctor already.

This season overall was really uneven, and I think that came from lacking a central theme. The cracks in time or Bad Wolf were played through their respective series. But the scenes with Missy before this finale felt like afterthoughts, if they even bothered to put one in an episode.

So basically, the quality of episodes is determined by how much screentime Danny Pink has in them, and how little they have to do with the overall story. The standalones like Listen (minus the Danny shit) and Mummy on the Orient Express were the best ones.

 

[Fireprufe15]

So I'm assuming we're just going to go ahead and ignore the fact that the entire timeline collapses with Danny dead?

Cuz ya know, if he's dead how can Orson be born? And then the events of Listen don't transpire. Since those events deal with the doctor as a kid....well, talk about a problem.

 

[Alorxico]

Maybe now the show can go back to being "Doctor Who" and not "The Amazing Misadventures of The Ever Whiny and Self-Absorbed Clara Ozwald and her Overly-Emotional, Holier-Than-Thou Boyfriend Danny Pink".

 

[Fanghawk]

I'm noticing a lot of critical dissonance between fans and reviewers with this new season. I've seen critics rate it very highly, on par with Matt Smith and Cristopher Eccleston's first seasons, while fans while tell you it's the Clara Oswald show and a load of shite.

Interesting point. Normally, I'd say that's because fans and reviewers come at this from different angles: Fans (rightly) judge this season against past seasons while reviewers (also rightly) try to be self-contained in their analysis (at least to a point).

For the Doctor, that works because he was so different from past seasons (raising doubt from fans) but still did unique and interesting things that deserved mention (acknowledged by reviewers). What's funny about Clara is we're getting the reverse: reviewers are comparing S.7 Clara to S.8 Clara (as a character, she's drastically improved), while (some) fans don't like Clara as she is right now.

Although I suppose part of that is comparing her to Rose, Martha, Donna, and Amy, so by the time you get to Clara so much has already been done.

And in fairness, critics disagree too. I actually quite liked "Kill The Moon", for example, but but Liz just tore it to pieces [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/moviesandtv/reviews/12375-Doctor-Who-Season-8-Episode-7-Review-Kill-the-Moon]. Subjective nature of the beast.

 

[Alpha Maeko]

The one part that hit me the deepest was the Doctors' response to CyberPink. "I have to know... I have to know!" It's hard to explain it without having the context of the moment. Basically, it's the first time since he was introduced that I've seen this Doctor have a moment of moral crisis worth mentioning. He looked really hurt and conflicted; haven't seen him open up quite like that, even to Clara.

And Missy was great... it's sad that her character's been killed off in a way you can't fix without a huge plot hole. She seemed like just the kind of crazy you'd want in a Doctor Who arch villain. A Joker to the doctor's Batman, you might say.

Final opinion? The season as a whole has allot of interesting one-off idea episodes but a weak overall plot. A good finale (yes, I think it's good) doesn't make up for a whole season of mediocrity and self-contained filler.

I hope all of this at least helps to set up the Doctor for a greater comeback next season.

 

[G00N3R7883]

Every Doctor Who finale starts out like "oh no, 17 million Daleks/Cybermen/insert random alien name here, the entire planet/solar system/galaxy is doomed" but then 45 minutes later its like "aha! I have found the I Win button that will instantly kill the entire enemy army in one go!". Its annoyingly predictable.

Also, the episode kinda lost me before the credits. "I am not Clara, I am in fact, the Doctor" "oh, so you're our worst enemy and biggest threat?" *Bang*.

 

[gridsleep]

I wish people would stop calling John Hurt's version the War Doctor and just call him the Soldier, or the Warrior. It seems kind of anticlimactic for a character who keeps denying he's the Doctor to be called the Doctor, War or not. Just call him the Soldier. That puts him in his own comfortable (uncomfortable) category, and we can move on.

And oh, yeah, religion makes a lot more sense being the invention of the Master as a scheme against the gullible. It puts Moffat right up there with L. Ron Hubbard betting that "Any idiot can found a religion," and Shakespeare with his "There is neither good nor evil, but thinking makes it so." How Willy the Shake missed being burned at the stake is beyond me.

Osgood was more Velma than Velma. Her I'm sorry about. Should have kept her, Moffat. Unless... that Gallifreyan hard drive was still saving new ones even as it was dumping.... Ah, a guy can dream.

 

[Biran53]

I'm noticing a lot of critical dissonance between fans and reviewers with this new season. I've seen critics rate it very highly, on par with Matt Smith and Cristopher Eccleston's first seasons, while fans while tell you it's the Clara Oswald show and a load of shite.

Interesting point. Normally, I'd say that's because fans and reviewers come at this from different angles: Fans (rightly) judge this season against past seasons while reviewers (also rightly) try to be self-contained in their analysis (at least to a point).

For the Doctor, that works because he was so different from past seasons (raising doubt from fans) but still did unique and interesting things that deserved mention (acknowledged by reviewers). What's funny about Clara is we're getting the reverse: reviewers are comparing S.7 Clara to S.8 Clara (as a character, she's drastically improved), while (some) fans don't like Clara as she is right now.

Although I suppose part of that is comparing her to Rose, Martha, Donna, and Amy, so by the time you get to Clara so much has already been done.

And in fairness, critics disagree too. I actually quite liked "Kill The Moon", for example, but but Liz just tore it to pieces [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/moviesandtv/reviews/12375-Doctor-Who-Season-8-Episode-7-Review-Kill-the-Moon]. Subjective nature of the beast.

There is a fascinating disconnect. Of course, Doctor Who tends to be a fairly devisive show in terms of agreeing over quality (it encompasses so many different genres and ideas). But I have found that a large portion of fans tend to like seasons that opt less for ambitious arc based storytelling and instead are more or less serialized. Example, I thought rather negatively of Season 7, finding it to be a clunky mess leading to nowhere, and have found Season 8 to be fairly solid, definitely one of the better seasons of Doctor Who. In contrast, when discussing with those who thought negatively of Season 8 (inability to connect with characters, disdain for complicated plots, etc.), I was surprised to hear that many actually thought rather well of Season 7. I'm not meaning to generalize, but I like to think that it has to do with a common appreciation for the status quo. This Season of Dr. Who has been slightly bleaker and less peppy optimism, more cold pragmatism (that I believe the season addresses rather directly). It's a shift in tone, and every shift has its fair amount of growing pains (the classic serialized nature of Doctor Who doesn't always gel with arc based storytelling. Look at Season 6.).

But all I really know is my own opinion. And I have never really been this invested in Doctor Who. Something about Capaldi and Moffat's chosen direction makes it feel... almost like a completely different show. And it's at least going to be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[Verlander]

I can see what they tried to do with this season, with Pink representing someone supposedly grieving so hard that he's not impressed by the doctor. Unfortunately he doesn't have the range for it, and the reactions of the characters to him is completely unbelievable given the military fetishism that's infected the west for the last decade and a bit. Clara was fleshed out, but written to be useless. I've found no reason to give a damn about any supporting character. Remember when you used to be introduced to a character, grow fond of them, and get anxious about their fate, all in the space of an episode? Not a single instance of that this whole season.

Don't waste Capaldi, please. Try harder next time.

 

[Phuctifyno]

I wish people would stop calling John Hurt's version the War Doctor and just call him the Soldier, or the Warrior. It seems kind of anticlimactic for a character who keeps denying he's the Doctor to be called the Doctor, War or not. Just call him the Soldier. That puts him in his own comfortable (uncomfortable) category, and we can move on.

lol
The only correct name is "Nine", because that's what he is.

Firstly: He is, in fact, a Doctor, because his whole character arc was about him earning the title back by saving Gallifrey. That's why he took his place among them at the end.
Secondly: War, Warrior, and Soldier are not numbers.

But no, fanboys can't handle change and won't dare renumerate the subsequent Doctors.
...because that would be so drastic or something.
So now, somehow, the most recent incarnation from a set of thirteen is called "Twelve".

2 + 2 = 5.
Swish, guys... swish.

So, for my part, I'm not moving on and will persist in frustration and overwrought sadness until fanboys see logic. I really can't think of a better way to spend my time.

 

[Furbyz]

I thought it was a pretty good finale. Tied things up, I enjoyed Missie. The science was contrived and stupid, but well, it's Doctor Who. I expect that.

I loved the idea of Missy offering the Doctor an army to right all the wrongs in the universe with. Frankly, I think that if they had done that in the early or middle of the season and left the deliberation up in the air as an active part of the season, I would've enjoyed it a lot more overall.

It's like they saved all the good ideas for one speech.

 

[Skaro Or Bust]

This is not specifically about this episode but I have to ask... I'm still confused about which Cybermen these are.
I've been watching "Who" since Jon Pertwee's days as the Doctor. In those days the Cybermen were from the planet Mondas. This persisted in the new who series when we saw the head of one in 2005 when Eccleston's Doctor says "Hello old friend' to one in a museum case.

Then during Tennant's reign, new redesigned Cybermen were introduced originating in a parallel universe. They tried to invade this universe and were sucked back to their universe or into the 'void' (along with Rose).

So now what Cybermen do we have? They look like the parallel universe ones but why do they keep cropping up when we have our own universes versions? Any official 'word of God' on this?

 

[elvor0]

Well I would go with that, but that just seems odd. If you have the technology to be able to replicate your army, why would they not all be equiped with this technology? You blow one up and so many more rise from your dead.

That and I seem to remember the Doctor saying on the Plane that the particles of Cyberman were able to replicate themselves. Feel free to correct me there though, as I can't access iplayer due to living elsewhere and was only able to watch it on TV.

There was some line about only the rich ones in the temple being taught this new ability I think.

Ah okay, fair enough.

This is true, however, given that they're not flat converting living bodies or even real people but rather using digitized versions of dead people, I wouldn't see that as an issue, if something is digitized you can alter it to your hearts content, because they're not really them.

Limitation of the technology perhaps? Maybe it's easier to get them to do it themselves than try to brute force it.

As to why only convert the dead, that was covered too. Missy wanted an army for the Doctor. If she converted the living, he'd work his ass off to save them. But this lot is already dead. So there's a chance he might justify to himself that they're ok to use. At least that's under the Master's logic.

Ehh, not entirely sold on that first point. Seems like a bizzare limitation when you can digitize the souls of the dead, edit and effect them anyway.

Well I don't really like it, but I suppose that works. Just I was kind of disapointed that the Cybermen would let themselves be controlled at all and it wasn't some double bluff on their part, nor do I feel The Master doing it for that reason made any sense in terms of her character.

So I'm assuming we're just going to go ahead and ignore the fact that the entire timeline collapses with Danny dead?

Cuz ya know, if he's dead how can Orson be born? And then the events of Listen don't transpire. Since those events deal with the doctor as a kid....well, talk about a problem.

As happy(or unhappy) as I am to jump on any writing inconsistancies, that does /appear/ to be covered, the going theory is that that Clara is pregnant and that she did want to tell the Doctor in the cafe, but didn't. It may not be overtly mentioned, but yeah I'm gonna run with that, it's an acceptable "fill in the blank" moment.

 

[Me55enger]

Not even Capaldi could bring this one back. Absolutely dire.

Gomez as a villain was superb. Or would have been, if she wasn't yet another rehash of an established bad guy.

Originality is a dirty word.

 

[ZeroFarks]

I've was Dr.Who fan for well over 20 years. Started watching back when Tom Baker was the Doctor. After this last episode I have decided to quit.

I thought nothing could be dumber than the moon being a dragon egg and germs turning into giant spiders. I was wrong.

Now I'm wondering if Moffat had a stroke or something because as of this season these stories are no longer fit blow my nose into. It's as depressing as seeing Idris Elba in "Pacific Rim" - Capaldi is far too good to be performing this drek and it's embarrassing to see such a good actor go to waste. Although even that is not as embarrassing as seeing a series that made such an incredible comeback over the last decade suddenly nose-dive into such unbelievable stupidity.