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Kilkrazy wrote: Unfortunately, I HAET Peter Capaldi with a mad passion, so I shall spend the rest of the thread banging on about getting rid of him.
HAETers gonna HAET.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Corpsesarefun wrote: I've mentioned that twice, once today and once on the 25th of November, it's hardly a regular thing.
11/24 - The special really highlighted how much I despise Matt smith and adore David Tenant. 11/25 - Me and the two mates I watched the special with were hoping he'd die early. 11/25 - He's like a child... And I loathe children.
Twice on the 25th and once on the 24th. And that's only in the last 5 or so pages.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/12/19 17:41:37
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The Rani was a renegade Time Lady. She knew the Doctor and the Master when all three were young, and became an enemy of the former and an unwilling ally of the latter.
Automatically Appended Next Post: It won't be Rose.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Although, it appears it may not be anyone we have ever met before:
"The Doctor meets an old friend. Someone from his distant past. Someone who knows him very well, but whom we have never met. She's the Mother Superious of the Papal Mainframe."
I guess we'll find out soon.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/12/19 17:58:03
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To be honest, I am slightly annoyed that they passed over the opportunity to bring back someone from Ye Olden Days. Romana or the Rani would both tie into the 'quest for gallifrey' arc quite nicely and would give the Doctor an equal which is not something we've really seen in nuWho other than River.
It would have been a neat way to cap off the anniversary year bringing back an old name.
I'll be sad to see Smith go, to be honest, but I'm very much looking forward to Capaldi's run as the Doc. He'll be a great contrast to Smith and Tennant-style characters, which should change up the dynamic a bit (personally, I'm hoping he's halfway between Pertwee and McCoy, maybe with a bit of Tennant thrown in)
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/12/19 18:10:07
While Wiki gives another name I still think it is the Rani. The makeup and the "some one from his past" line just brings her to mind. If they just create a new character and then say they previously met it is kind of a cheat. Also in the trailer she mentions starting up the time war again which only someone completely nuts would want and that again screams the Rani.
My basic weapon can destroy your most advanced tank! I will still loose, but it will be entertaining!
Romana is probably stuck on Gallifrey. She was the previous president and part of the Time War.
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Ah, I didn't know Romana was on Gallifrey. Oh well, they might bring her back when he finds it then. (which, with the Silence plot arc having taken 4 years, will occur in 2020 with the 15th Doctor).
@Stormdrake: Moffat has said that it is an unseen character It's quoted on either this or the last page. I agree, it is something of a cop-out after the reveal it was 'someone from his past'.
Yeah, the Romana thing came from the audio/books continuity though which is a bit dodgy on whether it is official. Although the night of the doctor added a lot of credence to it.
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Would've been good to see more of Capaldi at the very least, the fact they've built up this regeneration so much had me expecting more.. that and there was no resolution of the situation on Trenzalore or with the Time Lords. Feels like they really were trying to pull off more than was possible in such a short amount of time, especially with short bits of narration progressing most of the plot and the Time Lords giving him another regeneration (maybe more?) not explained beyond Clara asking nicely. I know they needed the Doctor to answer the question so that they'd think it was safe yet they clearly knew he was dying and that it wasn't safe. The fact that Gallifrey was saved and the time war was ended in the 50th feels really hollow now that it's on the precipice of simply restarting once again (although I admit seeing the Time War 2.0 would be an interesting plot arch). Despite all that it wasn't bad, it had its moments, such as the old Doctor looking and sounding a lot like William Hartnell's incarnation. Not all throw backs were good mind you, Clara being sent back in the Tardis just reminded me of the end of the Bad Wolf plot arch.. and they did it twice in the same episode, yet for what purpose (other than letting Clara see the Doctor age) I'm really not sure.
Nevertheless.. "I've got new kidneys! I don't like the colour..."
I thought that was pretty good, cleared up a lot of stuff, and had a good plot to boot. SFX were great and the performance from the cast all round was good. Smith was absolutely brilliant, and even Coleman wasn't as bad as usual.
Plot spoilers ahead:
Spoiler:
I do like that it finally wrapped up the exploding TARDIS plot from series 5, that's been bugging me for a while.
Having the Silence (and the Silents) as good guys was a neat twist, especially as they cleared up the ones from the past episodes as a 'breakaway faction'. Not sure I like the idea that the Silents are genetically modified rather than actual aliens, but I can live with it.
I do hope this isn't the end of the Gallifrey plotline, and I doubt it will be. Interesting that they decided to grant him more regenerations, as he didn't exactly part with the High Council on good terms (End of Time). I wonder if that means Rassilon is no longer in command?
I felt the end was perhaps a little rushed, and could have done with running another 10-15 minutes. Smith as the older Doctors was exceptional.
Capaldi's entrance, although fleeting, was great. I can't see Clara lasting with him long, she seems so attached to 11, but that's a good thing, I'm not a fan of her.
I'll post more later, after I've thought about it a little more. Until then, Goodbye 11, roll on 12...
It's funny you say that, I thought it was too Christmassy in places. The worst specials in my opinion since 2005 have been the ones that really focused on Christmas (Christmas Carol, Doctor Widow and Wardrobe) while the best (Christmas Invasion, The Next Doctor, The End of Time) were the ones that used Christmas as a setting rather than a plot device. I agree the Christmas Special needs to be something... well, special, but it can be that without being overly festive. The regeneration itself was special enough for me.
Leaving the Regeneration would also mean it would have to come some point in the series, which really wouldnt work. I think the whole dynamic of the show will change with Capaldi at the helm, and that would be hard to pull off mid-series.
I agree, in my opinion they should've had an episode between the anniversary and christmas to cover the regenerations and then had this one as a christmas one to showcase capaldi.
Corpsesarefun wrote: I think it would've been better if they had made this a pure christmas episode and had a pure regeneration episode separately.
Something similar to what happened in the 8th Doctor's TV film where he regenerated right near the start, would have perhaps worked well in Capaldi's first episode.
Spoiler:
Also would have been nice if the Daleks had at any point regained their status as a truly fearsome enemy. In the past they always had to be defeated either in a particularly cunning or timey-wimey way, yet in all of Matt's series they've been progressively more useless sadly. Also, I don't think I saw more than 3 Daleks in any single scene.. prop department getting the short end of the budget it seems. I miss the malicious and outrageously xenophobic Daleks as opposed to the token 'this is serious so the Daleks must show up' card, only to be mocked senseless anyway.
It also felt like they were trying to outdo the grandeur and possibly even shock, depending on the person, of the past 3 regenerations (9, 10 and 10.2). Especially after the spectacle that was the 50th, I don't thing there was ever any chance of that.. in fact the 50th episode will always feel much more like Matt's finale rather than tonight's episode. Ah well, even though we didn't get to see Capaldi's supposedly energetic new take on the Doctor storming around in this episode, at least the next season isn't going to be split in two. That's a good sign in my book.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/12/25 21:33:43
It was so... bad. If Moffat had sat on the toilet a little while longer and come up with something as good as the 50th, then that would've been alot better.
And the plot holes... it wasn't just a single one you could easily overlook, the entire plot just didn't make sense. Why did Clara do the 'send you into the Tardis in your own time' from Bad Wolf? Twice? Why is the town called Christmas? If this is an alien planet, how did Christianity spread there?
The one good thing is that Clara's gran was that gran from Benidorm.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/12/25 21:46:46
I only watched the first series of Matt Smith but I didn't like him or the overall story arc so I stopped watching. Started watching today because a new doctor is a new start and I really like Capaldi as an actor. (Need to watch the 50th episode still though)
As for the episode tonight:
- I felt Capaldi didn't get enough screen time, but his quick entrance was a good start
- Kind of irked they used the Rose trick twice in the same episode as an excuse to age up Matt Smith
- I feel Daleks and Cybermen are quite overused at the moment as enemies and are quite often too easily defeated
- And at the start shouldn't Clara have been sent back in time by the weeping Angel when it grabbed her? (Massive plot hole imo)
- The episode started off with a really interesting premise and set up but Moffat couldn't get the pacing right I felt and it fizzled out towards the end
Currently debating whether to study for my exams or paint some Deathwing
A few good lines
Clare was very cute, Amy looked good.
Liked the Church woman
Sadly I thought the rest was pretty rubbish and just a series of mashed together plot holes..........pretty awful really
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"Unimaginably ancient xenos artefact somewhere on the planet, hive fleet poised above our heads, hidden 'stealer broods making an early start....and now a bloody Chaos cult crawling out of the woodwork just in case we were bored. Welcome to my world, Ciaphas."
Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos
"I will admit that some Primachs like Russ or Horus could have a chance against an unarmed 12 year old novice but, a full Battle Sister??!! One to one? In close combat? Perhaps three Primarchs fighting together... but just one Primarch?" da001
Preferred the 50th but yeah, I'm actually fine with a plot hole wrapup episode and, to be honest, I hope Jenna Coleman sticks around, not just for the obvious reason.
It might be good to see a character struggle to deal with a drastically different doctor.
Surely though this episode will mean an end to the endless and pointless is this 12 regenerations/is this the 11th or 12th Doctor/do regenerations count if he calls himself something else discussions that have plagued Dr Who threads since the start of the Internet!
The Doctor cleared it up quite neatly in one or two throw away lines.
Let the how many regenerations does he now have discussion commence.
Oh and I thought the episode was good and despite missing the first ten minutes it wasn't that hard to follow. More Capaldi Dr Who would have been better though.
One other little gem to leave you with: Regenerations can destroy Dalek spaceships, discuss.
How do you promote your Hobby? - Legoburner "I run some crappy wargaming website "
I don't think there can be any debate on how many rengenerations he has now. He's given 'a whole new cycle' (ie 12 regens) and used 1. You don't need a degree in advanced maths to work out 12-1=11. So I imagine we'll reach the 100th anniversary before they need to address the issue again.
Several of the 'throwaway' lines wrapped stuff up without getting bogged down(what are the Silence/Silents? How many regens Why did the TARDIS blow up?) which is good going forwards, helps the shown move off with no hanging plots. We still have 'the woman in the shop' from Asylum and the Duck Pond Without Any Ducks from 'Eleventh Hour' (although maybe that's just a Crack in the Universe) but nothing major still hanging around.
I think the Regen that soloed a Dalek fleet was a) a result of the sudden release and absorption of 12 regens' worth of energy and b) because it's now a 'thing' that stuff blows up when regenerating. The fact that the Smith-Capaldi regen itself was so sudden adds credibility to the theory that the later the regeneration, the more violent it is. As the first of a cycle, it was pretty much instant (just like the older ones) while the more recent ones -10-11) end up taking out half the TARDIS.
- The Papal Mainframe being explained (Headless Monks and those soldiers from Matt Smith's first encounter with the Weeping Angels also covered, kind of).
- The Silence as a religious order being explained.
- Clara, I love Clara.
- Smith is my favorite Doctor so far and I enjoyed that he gave an interesting monologue at the end of his time, instead of complaining that he didn't want to go.
- Well placed humor.
- The Doctor as a protector willing to defend Christmas and Gallifrey for so long.
- The Weeping Angels as a minor villain, not as over the top as they've been in Smith's time.
- Capaldi's intro was interesting, except him asking how to fly the TARDIS.
Things that I didn't like:
Spoiler:
- Ditching Clara twice? Seriously, it was dumb in the first season, why do it again?
- Though the Silence sect that blew up the TARDIS was explained, we still don't know how they possibly got the TARDIS in the first place in order to blow it up.
- The Dalek stalk foreheads. They really are just annoying and kind of a deus ex machina, in my opinion.
- The Daleks seemed rather lame and more of a throw-in villain.
- Why is Capaldi asking how to fly the TARDIS?
Most of all: - Did anybody else think Capaldi didn't enunciate well? To me, Tennant and Smith spoke very clearly and Capaldi seemed more muffled.
My basic weapon can destroy your most advanced tank! I will still loose, but it will be entertaining! 
