Doctor Who - Warning, Spoilers!

[Doc4]

Great episode. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Christmas Special was one of the most beautiful episodes I've seen. Simply charming, moving and joyful.

I just finished watching the last season (blu-ray) and then the Xmas special (tv).

I was really enjoying the season ... ups and downs but mostly ups ... right up to the end. The cybermen episodes were great ... but kind of a repeat of the Hell-Bent-Heaven-Sent finish previously, where a really good penultimate episode gets let down (a lot) in the finale. The whole "puddle of oil girl" saving Bill was a deus ex machina of the worst kind, creating a very forced and unsatisfactory ending where "everybody lives" ... or at least where all the main characters are saved from death. *sigh* Can't she just die properly, like Adric? Make it mean something.

The Christmas Special was ... meh. It is, after all, a Christmas Special, so I wasn't expecting much ... and it lived "up" to my expectations. I found "this is the Brigadier's dad" thing far too Dickensian (in the non-complimentary, "oooh, what a co-inky-dink" meaning of that word). I was distracted and annoyed by their efforts to denigrate Hartnell's Doctor ... ham-fisted and preachy. (And could they at least have him call it his "ship" all the way through, rather than changing for no apparent reason just after remarking that he "still calls it his 'ship'"?)

PS: Mark Gatiss is turning into the Bernard Horsfall of "New Who".

 

[beginish]

I saw the Brigadier connection a mile away.

I saw the whole Doc1 anachronism thing as both a plot device (‘let’s make fun of granddad for his antiquated worldview’) and (more importantly) the way to show Doc12 that for all he considers his early self quaint and embarrassing, Doc1 still made the hard choice. It was a shaming of sorts for Capaldi. How could he make the childish choice (“I’m not going to do it!”) if he’s so much more evolved now?

I can’t see Gatiss coming back again with Moffit gone now. They were buds going back to Sherlock.

 

[mikelz777]

....I was distracted and annoyed by their efforts to denigrate Hartnell's Doctor ... ham-fisted and preachy......

I suspect we'll be getting a lot more ham-fisted and preachy with the new Doctor's series. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[drwevil]

Christmas Special was one of the most beautiful episodes I've seen. Simply charming, moving and joyful.
Perfect goodbye to my favorite Doctor.

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Yeah we liked it too. The kids didn’t believe the Christmas Armistice or ceasefire actually happened.


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[Haggises]

Characters

Horsfall 4
Gattiss 3 (tied with Grand Maester Julian Glover but one ahead of...)
Bradley 2
Capaldi 2





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[AimlessWanderer]

Characters

Horsfall 4
Gattiss 3 (tied with Grand Maester Julian Glover but one ahead of...)
Bradley 2
Capaldi 2





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Gatiss was apparently credited for three, but has done at least four roles:

The Captain
Lazarus
Danny Boy
Gantok

Mark Gatiss

 

[Doc4]

Good time to plug one of my favourite Dr Who Commentators ... Stuart "Stubagful" Hardy. He just did a review of Twice Upon a Time which I heartily endorse. (Language not entirely SFW, BTW.)

 

[oc_in_fw]

Just watched the 1st episode of season 4 today- started watching the rebooted series a couple weeks ago. I should be caught up soon. I am sad that this is going to be Tennant's last season. But man, season 3 had some good ones.

 

[zed117]

Just watched the 1st episode of season 4 today- started watching the rebooted series a couple weeks ago. I should be caught up soon. I am sad that this is going to be Tennant's last season. But man, season 3 had some good ones.

Tennant was wonderful! His final season is also his best. On the bright side you get to experience 11 for the first time. Out of all the Doctors, Matt Smith is still my favorite.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Tennant was wonderful! His final season is also his best. On the bright side you get to experience 11 for the first time. Out of all the Doctors, Matt Smith is still my favorite.

I work with a British guy, and he tells me I probably won't care for Smith at first, but I will like him. I didn't think I would like Tennant- took me until the opener of his second season (Runaway Bride) to "get" him. Now that I am past the opener of 4 (Voyage of the Damned), it looks like Donna is returning. I enjoyed her earlier appearance.

 

[OtterLunacy]

@oc_in_fw I expect season 4 will be your favorite so far. I also didn't care for Smith at first. Actually, in his first episode I HATED him/his Doctor, for reasons that will (probably) be apparent when you get to it. I believe I already stated the rest of my opinion of Smith in the other thread, so I'll avoid repeat rants. You're also watching the holiday specials, right? I think most of them are good and I seem to recall that they sometimes tie up loose ends/help ease you into the next season.

 

[oc_in_fw]

@oc_in_fw I expect season 4 will be your favorite so far. I also didn't care for Smith at first. Actually, in his first episode I HATED him/his Doctor, for reasons that will (probably) be apparent when you get to it. I believe I already stated the rest of my opinion of Smith in the other thread, so I'll avoid repeat rants. You're also watching the holiday specials, right? I think most of them are good and I seem to recall that they sometimes tie up loose ends/help ease you into the next season.

I am watching everything on Amazon Prime. Just watched Partners in Crime- it re-affirmed why I like Donna.

 

[Haggises]

Who is on Prime?
Dang, I thought it was only on that new fangled britbox thing.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Who is on Prime?
Dang, I thought it was only on that new fangled britbox thing.

I am on Prime. The older runs are on Britbox (don't have that yet). Everything 2005 and up is on Amazon Prime. With all the free shipping I have been doing, I am basically paying nothing for Prime membership.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I will admit that I have one peeve about Smith, and I haven't even seen him act yet. In every picture I have seen of him, his head is pointing down. I figured maybe he was tall or something. Nope, just six foot (taller than me by 2 inches, but not tall enough to be looking down all the time).

 

[Haggises]

He stoops. A lot.
Also a lot of stony states over the shoulder as he slowly turns...
You get used to it eventually.

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[oc_in_fw]

He stoops. A lot.
Also a lot of stony states over the shoulder as he slowly turns...
You get used to it eventually.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Good to know. I will probably be to season 5 on Sunday.

 

[RedsFan75]

I liked Smith a lot, Baker is up there as well, but Smith really brings the madman in a box to play.

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[Haggises]

Good to know. I will probably be to season 5 on Sunday.

For me, the best is yet to come. I'm smitten by Capaldi.

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[beginish]

Smith really grew on me, and he’s the favorite of my kids. Tennant and Eccleston are pretty dark. Capaldi is a bit intense. I really should go back and do a full rewatch of the reboot before Jodie begins.