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Post by thechase on Aug 19, 2022 15:30:57 GMT -5
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Post by thechase on Sept 12, 2022 4:24:13 GMT -5
Doctor Who Magazine will be previewing the Centenary special, that issue should be out in a few days, so hopefully this weekend we can get a trailer.
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Post by Ryushinku on Sept 12, 2022 9:05:24 GMT -5
With the last Jodie story coming up sometime in October, strong rumour October anyway, I decided to revisit all of her era. I did the same thing when Tennant, Smith and Capaldi were about to leave. Gives me an excuse to binge rewatch things over two or three weeks, some of which I might have only seen once, before they leave the role.
Interesting to look back at the Thirteenth Doctor. There were a few I liked a little better, two or three a little less. I think the two main things with rewatching anything is that you know what it is rather than what you would like or thought it would be, and also it helps with the denser episodes when you're familiar with the plot.
Anyway. I'd say that my top five (broadcast order, not ranked) would be:
Demons of the Punjab Fugitive of the Judoon The Haunting of Vila Diodati Village of the Angels Eve of The Daleks
With worthy mentions for Rosa, Kerblam!, It Takes You Away, Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror, The Halloween Apocalypse and War of the Sontarans. I think those 11 stories would be ones that I'd happily revisit again at some point in the future, the most interesting and exciting from this run.
On the flip side, boy, do I not like these stories:
The Ghost Monument The Tsuranga Conundrum The Battle of Ranskoov Av Kolos Orphan 55 Ascension of the Cybermen / The Timeless Children Survivors of the Flux The Vanquishers
If there's one thing I can say for sure, it's that Chibnall really sucks at season finales. Ranskoov barely even tries anyway, but Timeless & Vanquishers are particularly disappointing letting-the-air-out-of-a-balloon flops.
The whole era isn't quite over, of course, and perhaps we could get a little different context or twist to some things that have happened and characters we've seen, in the last story to come. I'm optimistic, hoping for a finale where everyone is trying to give Jodie and Chibnall a good send-off and deliver something entertaining.
Not too long to wait.
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Post by thechase on Sept 12, 2022 9:26:24 GMT -5
I love all the New Year Specials, they're all miles better than every Christmas special from 2009 onwards, Chibnall is probably the best showrunner since Davies to write the Daleks, Moffat was dreadful at it (though wrote a great Davros), in fact, it's arguable consensus Chibnall writes all the classic monsters very well
My favourite Jodie era episodes
1. The Haunting of Villa Diodati 2. Village of the Angels 3. Fugitive of the Judoon 4. Revolution of the Daleks 5. War of the Sontarans
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schma
Hank Scorpio
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Post by schma on Sept 12, 2022 11:59:30 GMT -5
I really wish Jodie was staying on with Davies coming in. She's always captured a definite Doctorness and I would love to see what she could do with some stronger writing.
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Post by Ryushinku on Sept 12, 2022 12:13:57 GMT -5
I really would've loved to see how she was under Davies, as well.
One of the things I really enjoy about Tom Baker's run in having three such different distinctive styles under three different producers.
Just seems to be an oddity, though; at least for the new show it's been neatly divided. 9 & 10 for RTD, 11 & 12 for Moffat and 13 for Chibnall (and then 14 for RTD).
Interesting our top five is so similar, Chase. I definitely enjoyed War of the Sontarans, and "I wanted to ride a horse" is an excellent Sontaran line.
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Burst
El Dandy
*inarticulate squawking*
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Post by Burst on Sept 12, 2022 12:42:36 GMT -5
I'm just hoping that down the line she'll get a chance to revisit the role and redeem herself in the eyes of the fans that have dismissed her doctor, like how McGann and Colin Baker arguably have.
As an aside, assuming he hasn't already used up all of his scary ideas from while he was showrunning, I'd be down for a Moffat story with RTD producing, since those were arguably stronger than Moffat's stories on his own.
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Post by thechase on Sept 12, 2022 14:10:56 GMT -5
I'm just hoping that down the line she'll get a chance to revisit the role and redeem herself in the eyes of the fans that have dismissed her doctor, like how McGann and Colin Baker arguably have. As an aside, assuming he hasn't already used up all of his scary ideas from while he was showrunning, I'd be down for a Moffat story with RTD producing, since those were arguably stronger than Moffat's stories on his own. Moffat still had some banger stuff during his era as showrunner. His problem was he lacked RTD's tireless energy and focus, whilst RTD managed a small empire with DW, Torchwood, and Sarah Jane, Moffat couldn't manage both Doctor Who and Sherlock and they both suffered greatly. Whenever Moffat could find time to focus, we got his best season in his first, the Paul McGann short, Day of the Doctor, Listen, Heaven Sent, and the finale of series ten.
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Post by Ryushinku on Sept 12, 2022 15:56:13 GMT -5
Moffat's era didn't live up to my expectations, but they were a high bar. And retrospectively I realise that's mainly because I was basing it off my love of his stories and not considering him also having to cope with all the producer and re-writing responsibilities for other stories as well.
As well as Sherlock, yeah! So he got spread too thin and some things couldn't get the love they needed.
Series 5 and 10 are still two of my all-time favourites. When his intricate puzzle boxes worked, they were a thing of beauty.
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Post by BorneAgain on Sept 12, 2022 16:09:48 GMT -5
The thing with Moffat was that he was generally better at writing the Doctor than the companions. When he indulged too much with the latter (especially Clara) the stories tended to suffer. Series 10 is greatly improved from previous ones precisely because any romantic subtext was finally gone, the balance of focus between Twelve and Bill was ideal, and the addition of Nardole and Missy gave episodes some variety. It also felt like when the material was consistently living up to Capaldi's talents rather than him having to elevate weaker writing like in Series 8 & 9 (Zygon Inversion & Heaven Sent excepted).
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Post by Ryushinku on Sept 12, 2022 16:34:00 GMT -5
I think that's very fair. Series 10 felt like the Goldilocks porridge balance - not too hot, not too cold, just right. I really do like that teacher-student vibe in a Doctor team.
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schma
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Post by schma on Sept 12, 2022 21:05:27 GMT -5
I almost gave up on who during Moffatt's first season at the helm. He was great under RTD but with his own control he was all over the place. He kept going to the angel well and each time changing rules that he himself had established until there was so much that no longer made sense about them. Angels Take Manhattan is an example of Moffatt at his worst. Coming up with a plot and ignoring anything that didn't make sense and expecting the audience to just go along with it. That episode had plot holes large enough to drive a tank through.
During his tenure he went from the writer of some of my favourite episodes to someone I was glad to say goodbye to when he left the series. There were still good bits in the series he helmed but those usually were in spite of him.
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Post by "Cane Dewey" Johnson on Sept 12, 2022 21:37:24 GMT -5
Y'all up on some mad shit 'cuz Seasons 8-10 of NuWho are dope af. Give Moffat grief about how he ran the show for Seasons 6 and the first half of Season 7, but put some respek on 12's name.
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Post by thechase on Sept 13, 2022 2:50:32 GMT -5
Y'all up on some mad shit 'cuz Seasons 8-10 of NuWho are dope af. Give Moffat grief about how he ran the show for Seasons 6 and the first half of Season 7, but put some respek on 12's name. I didn't care for Capaldi at all, too much of a grump and it seems he caters only to fans who are just as grouchy. Not a good fit for either classic or Nu Who, and the ratings were just as bad for him as they were for Jodie. Series 9 is a great series though, largely because it's the only one where 12 has a bit more energy and shreds guitar like nobody's business, and it's the only series where Clara isn't annoying.
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Post by Ryushinku on Sept 13, 2022 7:43:40 GMT -5
I'm not fond of Series 8, though I am very fond of Mummy on the Orient Express and Flatline. And the Christmas special, Last Christmas, is also fantastic.
Series 9 is mostly good, Series 10 is better still.
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Post by thechase on Sept 13, 2022 7:58:25 GMT -5
I've never fully 'got' the love for series ten, I thought it was rubbish with some of the weakest stories ever put to screen, didn't like Bill, didn't like Nardole, didn't take to Missy's redemption until the finale. The Monk trilogy was atrocious
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Post by Ryushinku on Sept 13, 2022 14:51:25 GMT -5
The Monk Trilogy is diminishing returns - I like Extremis, Pyramid is bleh, Lie is really poor. It hurts the season as its centrepiece.
Thankfully, I like both Bill & Nardole as the student and proctor. And everything else barring Smile I either like or love. Thin Ice, Oxygen and the finale especially.
Missy's little redemption arc took a little while to stick with me, but it did. It helps that I enjoyed the cracked, rather Miss Havisham approach to Missy this season, over the Evil Mary Poppins approach.
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Post by DSR on Sept 13, 2022 22:21:20 GMT -5
Y'all up on some mad shit 'cuz Seasons 8-10 of NuWho are dope af. Give Moffat grief about how he ran the show for Seasons 6 and the first half of Season 7, but put some respek on 12's name. When Capaldi was new and I was watching the show week to week, I wound up losing interest. But I came back to his run within the last couple years, and watching it on DVD and seeing things play out more as a whole I wound up loving him. Now he's one of my favorites. (Though Eccleston's single series run is still my all-time fave.)
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Post by thechase on Sept 14, 2022 4:31:17 GMT -5
Finally we have a title for the Centenary, per today's subscriber copy of Doctor Who Magazine
"The Power of the Doctor"
So that's two Dalek serials they've now rehashed and repurposed with "The Doctor" name. (the other being Day of the Doctor), what next? The Doctor's Master Plan? Planet of The Doctor? Remembrance of the Doctor? If there's a Valeyard special, will it be "The Evil of the Doctor"
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Post by Hurbster on Sept 14, 2022 4:59:44 GMT -5
Have we had the 'Curse of the Doctor', yet?
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