Doctor Who season 8

[Thorin]

I know some of you are saving up episodes and stuff, so maybe watch out in this thread. I'll try not to give out too many spoilers, but I wanna talk about the show so something might slip out.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this season thus far, although in hindsight I agree the golden arrow really doesn't make sense.

Most of the episodes really seem like one-offs, not like the classic Who where story arcs would run for weeks, from one set of episodes to the next. Some of the ideas seemed kinda hokey or like they've been done before, but we have to remember we're actually on the 34th season of televised Who plus years and years of novels and comics.

I loved the first episode, and really loved Into The Dalek. Time Heist was absolutely awesome as well. I'm pleasantly surprised with Clara's character development, although Danny Pink is acted kinda wooden.

The latest episode, Dark Water, is fantastic! Its the first time in a long time that I actually screamed in frustration when "To Be Continued" showed up at the end! My daughter who is enjoying Doctor Who with me feels just as frustrated at having to wait six more days to the next episode!

The one thing I really didn't like at the end of the earlier episodes this season was the totally jarring Missy in The Promised Land. Well, they explain it in Dark Water, and as much as I hated the little vignettes, now that I understand what its all about I absolutely love it!

I think Peter Capaldi has been brilliant as the Doctor, and like I said, Clara has grown as a person now that she's no longer being portrayed as the love interest.

So... Dark Water. Make sure to watch it, its awesome.

[Lazybones]

Very hit and miss this season.. So much so that I love and hate some episodes.

1. Bad start great end?
2. Not bad
3. Really not bad till the ending?
4. I really liked this one
5. Best episode so far
6. Good
7. Not bad
8. I thought I would hate this one based on the preview but actually enjoyed it.
9. Ok
10. OK
11. Much better ones you get to the end.

[Mr. Analog]

The last few have been fantastic, I'm looking forward to watching the season finale.

The thing that surprised me MOST about the revelation was I really, really thought VILLAIN was going to turn out to be a different foe from ages past

When she said it though all I could think about was the many years of b---ds

I really didn't think I'd like the Orient Express one, boy was I wrong. And the dimensional invasion was probably my favourite so far, very classic Doctor Who

[Thorin]

Lazy, your summary doesn't really sound like you hated any of them...

Mr. A, I thought the dimensional invasion showed a completely different side of the Doctor, where he finally just gave up and called them monsters.

For me, the moon episode was the worst of the bunch. And yet even that one I didn't mind watching.

I certainly haven't felt like watching these episodes were a waste of my time. And I really like the angry eyebrows. I hope Capaldi sticks around for a while.

[Lazybones]

Trying to remain spoiler free but.

Hated the dinosaur
Hated the gold arrow
Hated what happened to the moon, because of continuity issues (fine as a one off concept I suppose)
Forrest again a cool one off concept but bad for continuity.

I really hate world wide events that are forgotten.


I love well thought out time loops however

[Thorin]

Yeah, the dinosaur in the opener seemed kinda out of place.  It didn't seem to add to the story.

You have convinced me that the golden arrow was a terrible plot mcguffin, although if you ignore that ending the rest of the episode was fun to watch.

I am in full agreement with the moon; that just, that...  No, I could just not stretch my suspension of disbelief that far.

I didn't like the forest episode because it was waved off as "humanity will turn it into a fairytale and forget all about it".  And also because the view of the world showed forest covering the oceans...  The actual character interaction was decent, but like you said, it's one of those world wide events that was just hand-waved away by the end of the episode.

I actually didn't like The Caretaker, which is where the doctor becomes the caretaker at Clara's school and then has to battle a robot that has "enough firepower to destroy Earth" yet is easily jumped over.  I liked parts of it, like that it's set in the same school as the first episode ever of Doctor Who, that the doctor uses a psuedonym that has been around since the third doctor ("John Smith"), and that they're using names from old Doctor Who (the "artron emissions" that attracted the robot are from the fourth doctor).

Well thought out time loops are cool, indeed.  I also like when they subtly weave in stuff from old Who, like when they mentioned the Macra in "Gridlock" or when they built an episode around the Ice Warriors in "Cold War".

[Darren Dirt]

Caught up.

VERY pleased with this season. Actually love how they wrote the Clara character and the role she has played in Twelve eps.

Cant believe how dark/HORROR oriented virtually every ep has been. Least small-child friendly season for sure. Nightmare fuel, lots.


Also (grunch) pleased I can finally read this thread

Update: less spoilerific chatter than expected. oh btw before tonight's "conclusion" ( quotes because, you know, MOFFAT ) interesting speculation-filled convos found here:

"Clara's Mysterious Phone Call: A Theory"
http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/claras-mysterious-phone-call-a-theory-68594.htm

[Thorin]

Okay, I really really liked the season finale!

I'll wait a couple of days before discussing...

[Darren Dirt]

Thanks!


PS found this from June, before Deep Breath.

Wish granted! And loved it for it!


http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/should-doctor-who-adopt-a-darker-tone-64107.htm

[Darren Dirt]

Some really thoughtful discussions take place in the comments on DWTV. Two great examples I found today:

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/is-the-doctor-a-good-man-64231.htm

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/comparing-the-different-arcs-of-the-revival-63649.htm

I am amazed and happy to see that site's threads so consistently filled with back-and-forth chatter that is interesting, civilized, respectful, and (in-universe) *logical* posts ... it's like, :blink: hey where's the rest of the internet!

...But seriously,  what I think shines forth in the above 2 discussions is demonstrative of WHAT exactly makes NuWho so enduring and unique -- the way it continues to combine accessible action adventure on the surface, but below the surface plenty of depth via solid character-development-based sociological/psychological issues. Often without coming to a nice simple black and white conclusion.

[Lazybones]

I enjoyed the latest episode but was somewhat disappointed that the "instant" enemies popped up perfect where in the past it appeared to take a lot to manufacture them. I was expecting more half complete ones to emerge.

[Thorin]

SPOILER ALERT


Keep in mind that

Spoiler

they were created by a timelord who spent an eternity perfecting the craft

[close]

Watch the last two episodes again with that bit of knowledge, and they play out quite differently...

[Lazybones]

Watch the last two episodes again with that bit of knowledge, and they play out quite differently...

Ok... but....

Spoiler

Recently dead Mr Pink even pops up as a 100% complete encased cyber-man by getting touched by the water.. They don't even bother explaining where the metal comes from... If they explained that they teleported in the outer armor or something that would have made at least a little in universe sense. However a little rain and out pops a fully armored and armed cyber man?

[close]

[Tom]

Must resist urge to open spoiler tags...

[Thorin]

Must resist urge to open spoiler tags...

Muah-hah-hah-hah-hah!

The downside to having a fiancee that wants your attention - you fall behind on tv shows.