TV and Movies

[smoky22]

@LoriLori  I don't remember that Eccleston or Tennant made any kind of big deal about deciding what they were going to wear.  I think that was a Moffat thing.  I could be wrong, but it seems like that's just what they ended up wearing.  I loved Tennant's long coat.  

I'm not sure I can adequately explain Bad Wolf.  I think you need to see the complete first season (and especially Bad Wolf and Parting of the Ways) to really understand how and why Rose became Bad Wolf.  She was able to see across all of space and time.  She had created the two words herself to link herself with the Doctor (it was a Russell T. Davies continuity thing).  In the 50th, I think Rose, as Bad Wolf, became The Moment (a sort of conscience before the Time War began).  I'm not sure it totally made sense.  You know how Moffat loved his Timey Wimey stuff. I am not the expert on Doctor Who.  Maybe someone else on here could explain it better.   

People on line didn't seen to like Capaldi's sonic sunglasses and his guitar and I thought it was a nice touch.  One of the few things I really liked that Moffat did.  (But I hated the whole Missy thing almost as much as I hated the whole Danny Pink thing). 

And that scene in the diner.  Oh my gosh, that was gutwrenching with him playing Clara's Theme on the guitar.  I didn't hate Ashildr like you did.  In fact I picture Clara and Ashldr still circling the Universe to this day. Why does she have to complete her fate?  People on line hated that she wasn't properly killed off (he he).  Okay that's the 2nd thing I really liked that Moffat did.  

Don't even get me started on the Amy Pond Show (ugh, ugh, ugh, blech, blech, blech). I hated her from the moment she became a grown up in The Eleventh Hour.  I hated the whole Melody Pond thing.  I hated those stupid monsters that made you forget about them the minute you looked away. Oh yeah, the Silence.  See I almost forgot what they were called.

I wasn't even that crazy about the concept of Souffle Girl and the Impossible Girl (especially that one).  Another big idea from Moffat that made no sense but sounded good. I think this is where people started to hate Clara because it seemed like she was more important to the universe than the Doctor (the Clara Oswald show).  I did like a lot of the episodes during that period, though.

Hope you do get to watch the Eccleston episodes.  I guess he didn't want anything to do with being part of the 50th.  I'm not sure we ever found out the real reason for that.  I read conflicting stories.

[LoriLori]

@smoky22  thanks for your response!  I hope we're not driving anyone else away but then they can just skip the long posts or better yet I wish others would jump in.

Thanks so much for trying to explain Bad Wolf.  I'm more confused than ever but looking forward to seeing the episodes even more now.

I've read that Eccleston was only signed for a year because BBC was not at all convinced the revival would be a hit.  But they also never expected him not to return, when it was.   According to Eccleston  BBC blacklisted him then, to punish him for not coming back.  He wanted to be in the 50th  but they wouldn't let him.  Makes sense.

One man's blacklist is another's luck:  And so we got Tennant.  So even if I fall in love with Eccleston like Rose did, I won't be sad he did what he did.  Who knows if Eccleston hadn't done what he did if Timey Wimey would have brought us Tennant in time.

Here's the thing with Clara traveling the universe with Me (hate that name, couldn't they have kept Ashildr or given her a different name?  Me is so stupid IMO!!!!):

She IS the Impossible Girl and she should still be on this Doctor's timeline.  Because she's the Impossible Girl she was Souffle Girl before we even knew she was companion.   When they took off in the TARDIS, her and Me (grrrr), that didn't leave room for her to be in The Doctor's timeline anymore. 

Big flaw on Moffatt's part IMO.  Huge.  Completely rewrites her throwing herself into his timeline.  I want to be proven wrong by having her show up to save this Doctor, even time in the entire run.  Or else it was all for nothing and so, stupid.  So stupid.

I love all the shades of Clara.  She grew to feel herself the equal to The Doctor or she wanted to be The Doctor (which do you think?0 and that's why she died.  Trying to be the savior.  Capldi's Doc could have saved Rigsy, Me (ugh) could have saved Rigsy -- by taking it on herself Clara overreached and screwed everything up.

But having shown up (history rewritten, I know) with every other Doctor it will render the episodes when she throws herself into his timeline (an episode I love!) useless and stupid.  

I noticed the very first episode of the reboot, the very first episode with Eccleston as the latest incarnation, is called "Rose."  That says a lot.

[LoriLori]

Tonight:  Witches!  Alan Cummings!  (And please, aliens!)

Wonder if Yaz will be called accused.

ETA:  Now I think of it, if it's Graham who is accused that could make for a very interesting episode too.  Just not Ryan, please.  Echoes of Rigsy.

[smoky22]

This was a fun episode, despite the serious subject matter.  And @LoriLori  there were aliens, and scary zombie like undead creatures.  Alan Cumming was superb, very campy in the beginning and then more serious.  I didn't quite get the mask, though.  I guess just to make us think he was going to be the bad guy.  

The Doctor knows Houdini.  How convenient!  And she found out firsthand about gender bias.   I'm sure when the Doctor was a man he observed it, but never experienced it directed at him.

And who would have thought that Graham would be quoting Pulp Fiction.

I liked it a lot. 

[smoky22]

@Cumbercookie13

@wilma

@candys mine

@gardenman

Please come back and give us your opinions of Doctor Who.  I'm interested to know if you're still watching or not.  I hope @LoriLori and I didn't drive you away. 

[gardenman]

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@smoky22 wrote:

@Cumbercookie13

@wilma

@candys mine

@gardenman

Please come back and give us your opinions of Doctor Who.  I'm interested to know if you're still watching or not.  I hope @LoriLori and I didn't drive you away. 

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You can't drive me away. (People have tried however.) I grew up (Internet wise anyway) posting on sports, video game and computer forums where death threats were not uncommon, so I don't scare off easily. The Q forums are like kindergarten compared to many of the places I used to post.  

I found out that Comcast had a free preview of HBO last week, so my TV time was focused on season two of West World which I hadn't seen. I binge watched all eleven or so hours of it and that left little time for anything else what with the holiday decorating and Thanksgiving/football. I'll be getting back to Dr. Who in the very near future. Probably not today, but maybe tomorrow. The last episode I saw was the P'ting episode which had me wondering what a P'ting pooped? If it eats metal and energy, what does it excrete? I'm taking this way off course, but that's where I left off with that odd question in my mind. I like the new Dr okay and her companions, but the writing has been off in the episodes I've watched. I keep hearing it improves, so I'm still giving it a chance.

[LoriLori]

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@smoky22 wrote:

This was a fun episode, despite the serious subject matter.  And @LoriLori  there were aliens, and scary zombie like undead creatures.  Alan Cumming was superb, very campy in the beginning and then more serious.  I didn't quite get the mask, though.  I guess just to make us think he was going to be the bad guy.  

The Doctor knows Houdini.  How convenient!  And she found out firsthand about gender bias.   I'm sure when the Doctor was a man he observed it, but never experienced it directed at him.

And who would have thought that Graham would be quoting Pulp Fiction.

I liked it a lot. 

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@smoky22. sigh, it just didn't do it for me. 

I've never seen "Pulp Fiction."  We've uncovered a "thing" here -- if the episode depends on knowing quotes from Shakespeare to Pulp Fiction etc. someone who isn't familiar will miss something, a little or a lot.

I loved seeing Siobhan Finneran who played O'Brien on Downton Abbey as the lead.  The woman was born to play a villain LOL.

I don't get why they directed Alan Cummings to be so OTT effeminate.   Still I got a kick out of his little crush on Ryan.  And Graham, while I didn't get his references, shines in every episode and in that hat I just could have hugged him tight, he's so loveable.

The mask, I thought it was so he wasn't recognized?

The rest I didn't like.  Seeing our female Doctor in the dunking stool was one of the things that bugged me.  The stakes were low because we know she'll get out of it.  If it was meant to make a feminist point it sailed over my head. 

I've read a lot of reviews, they're very mixed.  Many very positive.  This one from denofgeek says how I feel and even pointed out some things that bugged me that I didn't realize till I read the review LOL:

https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/doctor-who/277819/doctor-who-season-11-episode-8-review-the-witchfin...

They didn't like the name Morax and neither did I but they don't mention another pet peeve, that it rhymes with Lorax.  And kind of rhymes with Sycorax.  A million names in the universe and they chose Morax, meh.

I'll probably watch it again to see if it's bette

[smoky22]

@LoriLori  as to why they made Alan Cumming so effeminate, James I did prefer boys.  And the OTT was just campy fun.  He said he wore the mask so he wouldn't be recognized.  I don't know if that's historically something he usually did, but why was the mask so intentionally scary looking? (more camp I guess.)

I thought the whole episode was kind of fun.  Don't overthink it.   I didn't read your den of geek review.  Maybe later.

The quote from Pulp Fiction was just a throwaway line, like a lot of them are in Doctor Who.  Knowing it or not knowing it doesn't really matter to the episode.  

Sorry you didn't like it.   I wonder if it's because of the book you're reading.   

[LoriLori]

@smoky22  I can't fault the book in this case.  I had googled James I being either gay or bi, but the performance was waaaaaay OTT for me.  If you have time, read the review, they said what I can't seem to.  But I will watch it again, and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!

[smoky22]

@LoriLori  I did read the review and I thought the person doing the reviewing was just trying to be nit pickingly clever about it.  But since you agree with a lot of what was said, I'm thinking you will probably not like this episode any better on a rewatch.  

Of course it was going to be the Doctor who was dunked.  I was curious how she was going to get out of it and then, oh, she knew Houdidni.  I thought that was clever.  Maybe because I didn't expect it and I should have.  I love when the Doctor has met all these famous people. 

I do agree with you about the Morax.  They could have been more original with the name and it did remind me of the Sycorax.

What will be funny is if I rewatch it and then don't like it, lol.