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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 18, 8:52pm
Post #1 of 27
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Any Doctor Who fans care to comment on new episodes?
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I'll start: I'd seen Ncuti Gatwa in Sex Education and just thought he was fine/OK as an actor, which was also my opinion of that show. So, I wondered if he could breathe life into Doctor Who, who as a Time Lord is supposed to be a bit larger than life and not just another Joe off the street (David Tennant was my favorite; the others all had pluses & minuses). Color me pleasantly surprised!
I think he's helped a lot by his chemistry with Ruby Road, the sort of chemistry that appears present from the start. Of course their chemistry is helped by how they're written too, which is that they seem to be on the same page when it comes to values & opinions but they complement each other in other skills and reactions to situations--there's a little of that complementarity so far, but not a lot to point to. I'm hoping it shows itself over time.
As for plots so far: Space Babies and Devil's Chord, a space travel and a time travel on Earth plot, which is what we expect from Dr. Who. Light & fizzy, then darker, which is fine. I imagine we'll get more intense episodes later ("Midnight" is my all-time favorite episode ever at a gut-level, but I couldn't stomach that intensity all the time).
I hope you're enjoying it while we're all still in this wait & see period.
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Ataahua
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May 18, 9:43pm
Post #2 of 27
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for the season to finish, then I'll get a month's Disney subscription and binge-watch the whole thing. (It's expensive to keep up with the different streaming platforms!)
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 18, 10:07pm
Post #3 of 27
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I guess we need to keep this spoiler-free, then. //
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Ataahua
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May 19, 2:24am
Post #4 of 27
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Well, our usual approach to spoilers
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is to put a **spoilers** tag in the subject line and have anything spoilery in the body text, so that people can choose whether or not to dive in. It'd be great if that was continued but there's no requirement to.
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 19, 3:42am
Post #5 of 27
(969 views)
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Good reminder--for me! I forget the little things like that.//
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
May 19, 11:24am
Post #6 of 27
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I've followed Doctor Who quite a lot over the years -
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I remember watching the first episode - but I need to catch up with this version. I watched the first episode in this series, which was very cleverly done but I didn't quite settle to it; however I'm not the main target audience. I will persevere, because it's so very imaginative and broad in emotional scope. It's a rollercoaster ride - there's nothing quite like Doctor Who!
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
May 19, 2:39pm
Post #7 of 27
(937 views)
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We're enjoying it so far (only a tiny spoiler here)
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The lighter tone is nice after the sturm and drang of the previous seasons. Gatwa's a delight, and Millie Gibson/Ruby Sunday (the church where she was found is on Ruby Road) fills the companion role beautifully. Where all of this is going I don't know. It seems as though the showrunners are mostly having fun right now before diving back into all the possible darknesses.
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Lissuin
Valinor
May 19, 9:11pm
Post #8 of 27
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It is very very.....verrrrrry fun.
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What a terrific two they've put together for this newest trip with a Time Lord in these 2020s.
Wellington will soon see the Doctor Who: Worlds of Wonder Exhibit for its first foray outside the UK. Weta Cave tours, the recent spectacular Marvel Expo, and now the Doctor? What?! Anyone might get the idea this "coolest little capital" town is a geek magnet.
https://www.takina.co.nz/...who-worlds-of-wonder
I will be attending.
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Kimi
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May 19, 9:34pm
Post #9 of 27
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As in back to childhood memories of being terrified by the daleks when NZ TV was still in black-and-white. I loved the "specials" shown in the lead-up to this season, and the new Doctor seems brilliant. But like Ataahua, I'll be (eagerly) waiting to view it till it's all been aired.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 20, 12:40am
Post #10 of 27
(897 views)
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Just watched Ep 3, Boom, and the "darkness" arrived, but still wait and see
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As Lissuin said, it sure feels more fun, more fun than it has in awhile, and I've had a little too much sturm and drang too.
There's no denying with episodes 1 and 3 that with the scathing, unveiled political & social commentary, this is not a show that the anti-woke crowd will enjoy, unless they're very good at filtering out those messages and can enjoy the rest of the show.
I said above that my favorite episode of all was Midnight, but my 2nd favorite was a silly, fun one (The Unicorn and the Wasp) where they help Agatha Christie solve a murder mystery (including a humorous reference to the Clue board game). I think Dr Who at its best is a variable journey, not just to times and places, but also different brews of comedy and drama.
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
May 20, 2:35pm
Post #11 of 27
(866 views)
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...as to refresh my memory about "Midnight"? I've seen every episode with every doctor but don't necessarily remember their titles. Although I do remember which episode was titled "The Unicorn and the Wasp" and also enjoyed it.
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 20, 6:32pm
Post #12 of 27
(860 views)
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OMG, I get to talk about Midnight?!
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Midnight introduces us to the tourist planet of the same name, a crystalline world of breath-taking diamond and sapphire landscapes glittering under the rays of a sun so deadly it kills anyone who goes outside. While Donna spends the day relaxing in a spa, the Doctor takes a sort of land-crawler/tourist bus with the amenities of an airplane (complete with hostess) to view a special landmark, along with 6 random fellow tourists. The supposedly lifeless planet turns out to have a sinister lifeform that waylays the tourists and possesses one of them, sparking a claustrophobic, horror/psycho-thriller episode of suspense, twists, mystery, and--for me--truly frightening mayhem as normal, middle class tourists spiral gradually out of control towards mob violence and murder.
There, I got it in 1 paragraph instead of 20. I think I get more from this episode than most people, it just ticks off all the right boxes for me. And having watched it 10 times or so, a few lines in the middle and the end are still gut punches. It's disturbing, but for me it's a sort of warning to strive to keep your head in a panic, even when all your instincts are headed in a primal kill-or-be-killed direction; otherwise innocent people die, and what ordinary person wants innocent blood on their hands?
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
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May 20, 9:17pm
Post #13 of 27
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That was an excellent episode:
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tightly written, mild horror (the double-speak was just this side of freaking me out), and claustrophobic (with most of the episode taking place in that cabin). The behind-the-scenes making-of doco of Midnight is a must-see.
Other episodes have higher stakes and bigger shock-reveals, but this is my favourite ep because the entire story (and the fright) is top-tier.
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 21, 12:24am
Post #14 of 27
(819 views)
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Right? And it proves the stakes in Dr Who don't have to be the Earth's/universe's destruction
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to make a gripping episode. We had no idea where things were headed in Midnight, only that they were spiraling down and scary.
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
May 21, 2:44pm
Post #15 of 27
(742 views)
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Oh my, yes, that was a tour-de-force! And also yes, it proves that there's no need to threaten entire planets (or universes) to have a frightening story.
One could get very allegorical about that episode
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Annael
Immortal
May 21, 5:15pm
Post #16 of 27
(738 views)
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Like "Family of Blood" in Ten's time, or "Blink."
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 21, 5:38pm
Post #17 of 27
(734 views)
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allegory indeed. I think Midnight should be a required classic like Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"
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Not the same story, but close enough as kin.
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Annael
Immortal
May 24, 7:01pm
Post #18 of 27
(642 views)
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seems like they are really going for the emotions this time, HEAVILY telegraphed by the music.
I'd like to see more of the Doctor being ever so clever and fixing things by some kind of brilliant unforseen trickery.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Kimi
Forum Admin
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May 24, 11:24pm
Post #19 of 27
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And really all about the acting, rather than special effects. Genuinely scary - in part because the people seem so "ordinary".
Very good one-paragraph summary! Consider a side-career in writing book blurbs :)
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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Eledhwen
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May 25, 7:40am
Post #20 of 27
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I saw it in Liverpool in 2022 - very much enjoyed it. A great mix of actual science, plus tons of props and stuff from the show.
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Eledhwen
Forum Admin
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May 25, 7:42am
Post #21 of 27
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I like Ncuti's Doctor. I wasn't overwhelmingly wowed by Space Babies, but the Devil's Chord was better and Boom was great. Steven Moffat was always better as a DW writer than showrunner IMHO (cf his previous episodes in the Ten era, like Blink). Looking forward to seeing where they take things from here.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 25, 5:26pm
Post #22 of 27
(483 views)
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Blink is one of those terrific episodes that
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I think should somehow exist outside the Dr Who-sphere and be marketed to general audiences so they can be exposed to them and appreciate how good they are in terms of suspense and enjoyment. That story was so well-crafted, and I've never looked at "harmless statues" of anything the same since. Oh, look, there's a stone angel outside my window right now, and I feel a strange urge to blink ----
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Eledhwen
Forum Admin
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May 25, 5:47pm
Post #23 of 27
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But yes, it's very accessible to everyone. Plus, Carey Mulligan is brilliant.
"It's the same rain" - gets me every time.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
May 28, 1:58am
Post #24 of 27
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Kind of a slow start, but wow, does the story build. And saying anything interesting about it would be a spoiler, but this is the story telling I used to love in Dr Who.
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Annael
Immortal
Sat, 2:04am
Post #25 of 27
(182 views)
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that one immediately shot into my Top Ten.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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