Doctor Who

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Reverie
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Reverie »

I think Mummy on the Orient Express is the only episode this series that I liked entirely. All the others were, as I said a while ago, above average at most - due to either being dull or having a couple of glaring faults. Apparently, the writer has also done Flatline, so I'm looking forwards to that.
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DLA
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by DLA »

I loved Mummy on the Orient Express. Plot was good, and I especially enjoyed the return of the Jelly Babies. Hopefully Flatline next week is just as good.
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TheDoctor
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by TheDoctor »

I thought Flatline was pretty decent. Sadly, In the Forest of the Night seemed more like bad fanfiction.
Spoiler : Forest ep :
My biggest gripe with the episode is that no one was ever in any danger except for from escaped zoo animals. Also, how in the world does having a ton of extra oxygen help protect you from a solar flare? If anything, you'd think it would make it exponentially worse as fire needs oxygen in order to burn. Really, this is the only episode this season I'd have to say I hated.
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Reverie
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Reverie »

I hope I don't seem like I'm exaggerating when I say that In the Forest of the Night is my least favourite "NewWho" story of all time. At least Love and Monsters has it's so-bad-it's-good-ness. ItFotN was just boring and there wasn't a single thing I liked about it. There's not much to say about it, because it wasn't bad in the same way as "Listen" was, it was just dull and annoying.
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Lind
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Lind »

I'm surprised that the last two episodes weren't written by Moffat, because they've bought back a very common issue in his episodes that had been absent from Series 8 so far - specifically, a great setup, followed by an awful and rushed conclusion.

Neither is nearly as bad as "The Power of Three", mind you, which is still the worst offender for this. But whatever.
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Ami »

This episode probably could've been saved by the acting.

Though it wasn't.

Surely there's better child actors out there? At least, ones within budget? I think the worst moment was

"Don't burn plants. They save us. They are good. Okay bye." as their huge, poignant speech.
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Lind
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Lind »

TREEEEES

TREEEEES

THEY ARE US!
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Trybien »

Wait, that was Doctor Who? Coulda sworn it was an episode of Captain Planet. lol.

With all seriousness, the missing sister plot point was probably one of the most contrived and pointless thing in all of doctor who IMO. And oh god that ending. That makes bad bad fanfiction look good. Are sure Shamalan wasn't somewhere on the credits? Then again, I got a feeling even him woulda done better.
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Ami
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Ami »

Trybien wrote:Wait, that was Doctor Who? Coulda sworn it was an episode of Captain Planet. lol.

With all seriousness, the missing sister plot point was probably one of the most contrived and pointless thing in all of doctor who IMO. And oh god that ending. That makes bad bad fanfiction look good. Are sure Shyamalan wasn't somewhere on the credits? Then again, I got a feeling even him woulda done better.
Wouldn't surprise me. I half-expected them to try to outrun the air at some point. This was just a sloppy episode all around. The Boneless wasn't the best of episodes, but it still managed to keep me interested as the audience. I cared what happened to Rigsby, and the "how" of solving what to do actually was very clever. It was nice to have Clara think like this current Doctor, have her walk a mile in his shoes. This episode, as you mentioned, has a contrived ending.

And what are they doing with this romantic plot? I'm... not understanding this. Nor this whole paternal "I can't stand not being able to protect you" and "I'm calling him a PE teacher until I can accept him, because obviously I'm an important factor in deciding who you get to date" still being prolonged (it was already squicky in the first place). Are the writers even consulting each other? At all? Where are the editors and producers?



Okay, new ending: the kids discover a talking tree. It talks through Mave. Humans track it down, it's UNIT, they want to kill it. Doctor tells them to stand down. Turns out it was a massive growth spurt from the newly evolved Tree People that we saw in Nine's tenure. The Doctor and the Tree then learn that there's a herbivorous creature where the core tree is, and they go to negotiate with it, but end up killing it because Doctor Who needs to be grimdark scary attack eyebrow Doctor, and we're still on that "am I a good man?" crap. UNIT helps house the tree person in secret until society is ready, The Doctor and Clara go off, Danny stays behind because he just doesn't want to go (and none of this "you are literally greater than space and time travel for some reason" crap). Oh, and the kids help protect the tree somehow. Mave saves the day. And her sister is one of the tree people. Clara learns THAT IT'S NOT OKAY TO WRITE OFF PEOPLE AND THAT MAYBE ACTUALLY TEACHING THEM WILL HELP THEM OUT INSTEAD OF MOCKING THEM WITH A FACETIOUS TITLE. IF YOU WERE A TEACHER IN REAL LIFE, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED SEVERAL TIMES OVER BY NOW. ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU DON'T EVEN DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. HOW ARE YOU NOT BOTHERED TO CHECK YOUR SOURCES ON WHEN A BOOK WAS CREATED?

There. I did it. My ending is sloppily thrown together using existing Doctor Who tropes, and basically rubbish as it stands. However, it's still a more watchable episode.
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TheDoctor
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by TheDoctor »

Despite the episode's abysmal quality, I'm really looking forward to the next episode if for no other reason than the explanation behind the whole "Clara Oswald has never existed" line.

I get the feeling she's about to become the "companion with the most interesting backstory" or the "most hated companion since Adric." Possibly both. Hopefully just the first.
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Reverie
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Reverie »

TheDoctor wrote:Despite the episode's abysmal quality...
Huh? Do you mean that's just the general vibe you get from final episodes, or have you seen it early somehow?
TheDoctor wrote:...The whole "Clara Oswald has never existed" line.

I feel like they just took this massively out of context... as if she has to say it to be saved from the enemy, or something similar.
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by TheDoctor »

Spyromed wrote:
TheDoctor wrote:Despite the episode's abysmal quality...
Huh? Do you mean that's just the general vibe you get from final episodes, or have you seen it early somehow?
Whoops, I guess I could have worded that better. I meant despite Forest of the Night's abysmal quality. Haven't seen the next episode yet. And to be honest, the only final episode I disliked was Last of the Time Lords, and that was only because of the Tinkerbell Jesus moment.
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Lind »

TheDoctor wrote:the only final episode I disliked was Last of the Time Lords, and that was only because of the Tinkerbell Jesus moment.
Ugh. I hated Last of the Time Lords.

Journey's End > The Parting of the Ways > The Big Bang > Doomsday > The Wedding of River Song > The Name of the Doctor > > > > > > > The Last of the Time Lords
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Reverie »

Where would you place The End of Time on that list, considering it is technically a finalé?
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Re: Doctor Who

Post by Lind »

Spyromed wrote:Where would you place The End of Time on that list, considering it is technically a finalé?
That's tricky. The End of Time was kind of a mixed bag.

I guess probably:

Journey's End > The Parting of the Ways > The Big Bang > The End of Time > Doomsday > The Wedding of River Song > The Name of the Doctor > > > > > > > The Last of the Time Lords
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