Dr Who : S8E1-4

[drhoz]

Well, I've seen the latest episodes.... but I've been holding off on commenting. Mostly because I've simply been that effing busy, but also because the episodes 1 to 3 had me distinctly troubled, which is a shame after the intense anticipation I had waiting for the new Doctor.

Comments

[myrystyr]

I think the basic problem with Flirting With Dinosaurs is they felt the need to spend half the episode trying to address the somewhat sizable proportion of the new series audience - alternately by means of foregrounding now-well-worn aspects of the new series (in an attempt to reassure viewers this is still the same new show and not a throwback to the old show) and shouting "how dare you even think about not watching any more (because we've gone for an older actor who plays the doctor like he's in the old show)" directly at the audience - who spent most of the previous six seasons having romantic fantasies about the young lead actor.

Then we get two generic-new-series episodes written with a generic Doctor in mind because no one had actually seen Capaldi in action yet. Though too their credit, they're not that bad as generic-new-series episodes go. And left me wanting to get hold of DVDs of the Robin Of Sherwood series I grew up on.

The Barn Witch Project seems to be the episode where things have finally clicked into place.

[drhoz]

Nods - I had a suspicion that was a factor. I'm still hoping Listen is where they've got over the teething problems.

[myrystyr]

Surreal proposition: if Scotland votes for independence tomorrow, then (under Moffat and Capaldi) Doctor Who will no longer be British.

Also, freeze-framing the promo for Time Heist reveals that the Abslom Daak Dalek Killer comics are now canon. Cue flame war.

[drhoz]

*grin*

[theglen]

I love Capaldi as the new Doctor, but he's got to get some better scripts. Deep Breath was a bit of a train wreck except where he was on screen. The lesbians and their comic relief butler just need to go away. They aren't funny or interesting at all.

Into the Dalek almost seemed like a filler show, it did a decent job, and made the Doctor back to the monster he could have become.

I disagree with Listen. I actually fast forwarded through parts of it, as plodding as it was. Danny so far hasn't shown any interesting traits whatsoever. He makes Rory look forceful. Clara going back to the 1st Doctor just seemed contrived.

Loved the Sherwood episode, even if the ending was hack. They seemed to enjoy themselves in this one, a mix of the 70's adventure episodes only mixed with the curmudgeon 12 has turned into.

[drhoz]

Curmudgeon - good word for him.

Re: the end of Robot - would it have been that difficult to shoot the arrow through the hole they'd blasted in their own cockpit wall earlier?

[theglen]

Did say the ending was hack written. However did read that the ending was hastily rewritten because of the terrorist killings. Don't know if that part was also changed. A hasty rewrite could have caused the gold arrow incident.

Now I just want to see if Ian is going to make a surprise appearance in the next episode.

[drhoz]

Actually, what they changed was cutting a scene where the sheriff gets decapitated and the head gets put back on, because he's actually a cyborg