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statu wrote: I hate the ad. Only because of the music choice, it’s so in who that it actively disinterests me. Take it out and add a more suitable musical choice and I’m certain I’d be getting excited for the new series
I was just going to post a very similar thing, the music was very 'yoof' targeted and I really hope there's a lot less of it in the actual show
Interested to at least see the first few (before they start re-using the new special effects ad nausieum)
I wasn't particularly interested in the new series until I saw this clip. She has really nailed the role from what I can see, I can see quite a bit of Tennant (fun loving) and Eccelston ("smart boy!") in her performance as well which is cool!
The ad at the end (to click the link below) is a bit jarring, just for highlighting her actual accent vs. her character accent. It seemed overly thick as a first impression (Tongue!), but then afterwards it just draws attention to the fact that, yeah, it was.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/09/29 16:55:21
The Guardian pre-retrospectivises the Jodie Whittaker Doctor favourably and does a nice roundup of the preceding modern era in "The modern-era Doctors, rated"
The plot is annoying me. If they're going to introduce things as a mystery, don't bring honking great plot holes along.
Those two scrawny guys couldn't haul a (too-cold-to-touch) pod with that thing inside through a forest even assuming they could find it in the first place (which is a hard ask from 'weather patterns')
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But the characters seem workable stereotypes that can be fleshed out over time (the Doubter, the Healer, and the Overachieving Protector stymied by inexperience and the system).
Except Ryan, who seems in danger of being a recurring disability plot point and the one who feths up by touching things. And opens web pages. >.>
Jodie seems good, but she is perhaps channelling Tennant at his most manic a bit too much.
That was fun The Doctor feels a bit generic, but then they always are with a fresh actor in the role. Looking forward to Whittaker putting her own stamp on the character. Seeing Sheffield(especially parts I recognized) on Who was equal parts great and really odd though
Watching it now - thought I would give it a try and see if the shows become watchable.
Seems.....ok - well at least the cast and tone.
Spoiler:
Truely laughable "warrior" race - thats what they call a challange - kill a random human - at least Predators went after people with weapons. What else does it have to do to prove itself. fight off a baby rabbit with its superpowers and armoured suit
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/10/07 20:47:55
I AM A MARINE PLAYER
"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
First one always gets a pass as it has to set up so much new stuff. Stenza warrior seemed awful. Teeth thing was weird. The 'challenge' was laughable. No matter, they won't be seen again.
Ryan seems uniquely useless... "I can check social media!" Wow, good skills there guy. I get he's got a disability but watching a grown man fail to ride a bike is too comic a sight to get the heart strings going, they should have picked something else.
Yaz was underused. Was so keen to do more at the start then sort of just stood in the group for the rest of the episode.
Bradley Walsh was... Bradley Walsh.
By the end we're all going to wish Grace survived because she seemed like the person who could best get things done.
The new arrangement for the theme is interesting, they've moved away from the bombastic recent versions and it feels a little more like the older 60s/70s trippy style. Not sure I prefer it but it's not bad.
“Good people are quick to help others in need, without hesitation or requiring proof the need is genuine. The wicked will believe they are fighting for good, but when others are in need they’ll be reluctant to help, withholding compassion until they see proof of that need. And yet Evil is quick to condemn, vilify and attack. For Evil, proof isn’t needed to bring harm, only hatred and a belief in the cause.”
Mr Morden wrote: Watching it now - thought I would give it a try and see if the shows become watchable.
Seems.....ok - well at least the cast and tone.
Spoiler:
Truely laughable "warrior" race - thats what they call a challange - kill a random human - at least Predators went after people with weapons. What else does it have to do to prove itself. fight off a baby rabbit with its superpowers and armoured suit
Spoiler:
I feel the whole point was the finding of the quarry, where this guy totally cheated. I may have got the wrong end of the stick, but that’s where I saw the challenge being, and indeed, can understand why such skill would make for a good leader (deductive reasoning and that)
But even if I’m wrong on that count (needs a second watch, which is no bad thing), the show certainly seems to be offering a new breath of life. Now that works for me, YMMV Dear Reader. But the focus on the drama and characters over ‘ahhh, sod it. Sonic or Psychic Paper’ is getting back to what I like most about the show.
I mean here, we see more of The Doctor taking control, because that’s what The Doctor does. Always has done. Over reliance on the Sonic and psychic sodding paper massively detracted from the ‘walk like you’re meant to be there, act like you’re in charge, and people just won’t question it’ that served for so, so many years. Because ultimately it’s true, though Dr Who has always pushed it that little bit further :p
Baddie I felt was decent in terms of design and execution and portrayal. May be a one show wonder, but in terms of the plot, could be adapted and revisited to different degrees in subsequent stories.
Most definitely a very, very strong start.
Whittaker is particularly excellent. And loved seeing The Doctor get all clever with what’s around them. Another welcome string to proceedings.
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
Voss wrote: The plot is annoying me. If they're going to introduce things as a mystery, don't bring honking great plot holes along.
Those two scrawny guys couldn't haul a (too-cold-to-touch) pod with that thing inside through a forest even assuming they could find it in the first place (which is a hard ask from 'weather patterns')
Spoiler:
That, and the whole "the complete transference was physical as well, so somehow you also transferred all the bombs I put in that thing, but that thing still obviously has all its faculties and is indeed trying to help you out at this moment in time, and you've not started sprouting bionic electro-tendrils, so how exactly that complete transference was also physical, except to conveniently end the episode when the writers forgot to put an ending in until the last night before script submission, is anyone's guess."
IMO, it was a poor episode saved by a solid cast. I'd hope the writing gets better later on, because I want to see these characters in their primes supported by the script, rather than being bogged down in it and having to put all their efforts into carrying it. As season-openers go, especially fresh cast openers, it was passable and far from the worst. I'll have to see how it develops.
Mandorallen turned back toward the insolently sneering baron. 'My Lord,' The great knight said distantly, 'I find thy face apelike and thy form misshapen. Thy beard, moreover, is an offence against decency, resembling more closely the scabrous fur which doth decorate the hinder portion of a mongrel dog than a proper adornment for a human face. Is it possibly that thy mother, seized by some wild lechery, did dally at some time past with a randy goat?' - Mimbrate Knight Protector Mandorallen.
Excerpt from "Seeress of Kell", Book Five of The Malloreon series by David Eddings.
"You need not fear us, unless you are a dark heart, a vile one who preys on the innocent; I promise, you can’t hide forever in the empty darkness, for we will hunt you down like the animals you are, and pull you into the very bowels of hell." Iron - Within Temptation
Kilkrazy wrote: The blue-skinned tooth-face bad-guy was instantly forgettable, IMO.
What was his name, Ian Staines? If he never comes back, he won't be missed.
However you don't waste a major villain on the introductory episode.
The individual? Yes, totally disposable, and again no bad thing for a first opening episode.
But in terms of future stories, what little we gleaned of their culture is definitely interesting, and stands up to further investigation.
Consider the first Weeping Angels episode. If you’ll excuse the pun, too much was set in stone. So every time they reappeared, the threat diminished.
The new aliens? Not presented as ‘all powerful’. Instead, we get a glimpse into their culture. And no more. Narratively, they could, if they wish, develop in any number of ways.
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
There never should have been any more weeping angels episodes after the first one. Just because an episode is great, doesn't mean there's any mileage in the monsters.
“Good people are quick to help others in need, without hesitation or requiring proof the need is genuine. The wicked will believe they are fighting for good, but when others are in need they’ll be reluctant to help, withholding compassion until they see proof of that need. And yet Evil is quick to condemn, vilify and attack. For Evil, proof isn’t needed to bring harm, only hatred and a belief in the cause.”
Kilkrazy wrote: The blue-skinned tooth-face bad-guy was instantly forgettable, IMO.
What was his name, Ian Staines? If he never comes back, he won't be missed.
However you don't waste a major villain on the introductory episode.
The individual? Yes, totally disposable, and again no bad thing for a first opening episode.
But in terms of future stories, what little we gleaned of their culture is definitely interesting, and stands up to further investigation.
No it doesn't. What we're explicitly told about their culture is they select their leaders by
Spoiler:
kidnapping rando, everyday humans, selected by lottery. Apparently ones in their late teens/early twenties who are extraordinarily helpless. And that determines Supreme Leadership of a 'Warrior Race' that considers itself relevant, and they have to cheat to accomplish that little.
Also they take trophies of the helpless victims they happen across and murder for no reason. Not trophies of worthy adversaries or impressive kills, but drunks and old men. Physically and culturally, they're the Ice Warriors of Mars, Take Two, but less impressive and with far less to be proud of.
This is the kind of one-off race that you shove behind the cupboard and pretend you never thought of.
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Riquende wrote:Ryan seems uniquely useless... "I can check social media!" Wow, good skills there guy. I get he's got a disability but watching a grown man fail to ride a bike is too comic a sight to get the heart strings going, they should have picked something else.
For me it kicked me off with contempt for Grandma and Granddad. They start off by treating a grown twenty something like he's six. 'Ride to Grandpa, Ryan, Ride to Grandpa. Oh, you tried so hard.'
But yeah, carrying on, his function in the episode was pretty bare bones computer use.
Everyone else seems like a well-fleshed out character in an pen and paper RPG, with contacts, resources, motivations, complex backstories. He's... this guy that showed up late and forgot his character sheet. The only thing he remembers is his Flaw. And I'm left with the terrible impression it will be the only thing the writers remember, going forward.
Yaz was underused. Was so keen to do more at the start then sort of just stood in the group for the rest of the episode.
As Khan, she has the most potential. Eager and motivated and wants to help, but simultaneously inexperienced and with little idea of how to meaningfully help (the sort of person who, at the moment, would give a fish rather than teach fishing), and burdened with bureaucracy.
All sorts of possibilities to unwrap there with what motivations and problems are driving her.
Bradley Walsh was... Bradley Walsh.
Supporting cast is fine. Dragging him along for the whole season seems potentially tedious. Someone to explain and pontificate at, I guess.
By the end we're all going to wish Grace
Eh. The problem with her character is she's already everything the Doctor wants her companions to be... always ready to be caring, compassionate and proactive. There really isn't a show there. it'd be like watching Martha Jones, but starting at the end of her season when she's learned all the lessons (and prior to going crazy with UNIT during Donna's run).
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Mad Doc wrote:But the focus on the drama and characters over ‘ahhh, sod it. Sonic or Psychic Paper’ is getting back to what I like most about the show.
Except, you know, new Sonic, and solving everything (both on and off camera) with it.
Making it was kind of neat, but it rather easily hoovered up every problem she couldn't deal with.
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I do think it was better than Capaldi's opener, but for all the PR and marketing about a new era of Who and brand new reveals, it was rather... standard. Not bad, but solidly average modern Who. With a terrible monster of the week.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/10/08 01:49:56
TBH, that's kind of why I enjoyed it. They managed to almost entirely sidestep any preachy stuff and just made a fairly average episode of Doctor Who, which is what I want out of, you know, Doctor Who.
"Your society's broken, so who should we blame? Should we blame the rich, powerful people who caused it? No, lets blame the people with no power and no money and those immigrants who don't even have the vote. Yea, it must be their fething fault." - Iain M Banks
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"The language of modern British politics is meant to sound benign. But words do not mean what they seem to mean. 'Reform' actually means 'cut' or 'end'. 'Flexibility' really means 'exploit'. 'Prudence' really means 'don't invest'. And 'efficient'? That means whatever you want it to mean, usually 'cut'. All really mean 'keep wages low for the masses, taxes low for the rich, profits high for the corporations, and accept the decline in public services and amenities this will cause'." - Robin McAlpine from Common Weal
The main time travel show I've been watching recently is "Legends of Tomorrow" and since it's been a while since I last saw Who that was my main points of reference.
The good. The cast was absolutely great, Jodie and the companions. I like that Bradley Walsh got his own mini heroes journey during the episode.
You are right that Ryan felt a bit useless but he should have potential there where he was talking about wanting to be a mechanic. It was a out they didn't use that during the 'Doctor builds stuff' scenes.
The bad.
Doctor Who does "Predator" in a really overly complex and unneeded way. So many irrelevant and unused plot angles. - the guys sister, the "suspended between life and death" trophies. The dumb plot resolution.
I can't help but think they were seeing things up for a future episode or a two pattern, then went 'nah, screw it' and left it in like an abandoned KOTOR2 questline.
And I will say that, if the show was Legends, they would have had far more fun with the Predator angle. I was very disappointed that we didn't get a scene of:
Walsh: "You are one ugly motherf..."
Doctor: "Language! There's children watching. *Points to Has and Ryan* And don't judge aliens on their appearance."
Alien: *Growls*
Doctor: "But... This time you might be right."
*Everyone runs*
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/10/08 07:23:42
Those two scrawny guys couldn't haul a (too-cold-to-touch) pod with that thing inside through a forest even assuming they could find it in the first place (which is a hard ask from 'weather patterns') .
Really? How much does an alien transport pod weigh?
I enjoyed it. JW nailed the role, IMO, and I'm looking forward to seeing where she goes with it.
Also curious to see if the pacing stays the same going forwards. It's noticeably less go-go-go than has been the norm for the last however many years...
Just going to echo what most people seem to think; Jodie great, rest of cast good, episode meh. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
I think it was a smart move to give the companions pre-existing relationships, so they don't have to get diverted on setting those up and I was quite pleased with how Bradley Walsh worked out (that was the casting choice I was really worried about). Was also nice to see Dr Who in the north!
Zed wrote: *All statements reflect my opinion at this moment. if some sort of pretty new model gets released (or if I change my mind at random) I reserve the right to jump on any bandwagon at will.
Those two scrawny guys couldn't haul a (too-cold-to-touch) pod with that thing inside through a forest even assuming they could find it in the first place (which is a hard ask from 'weather patterns') .
Really? How much does an alien transport pod weigh?
Given all the stuff in the workshop, I just assumed they had used a winch or a trolley or similar.
True. But there at least needs to be some description of it.
Consider Remebrance of the Daleks, and The Doctor’s scrambler device. It’s effective in terms of use, and plot.
That’s all I ask of the script. I just don’t want to see it reduced ‘oh FFS don’t lock them in tool shed, haven’t you read up!’ A-Team type get out clauses. Fun as they are, it’s a trope for a reason
Otherwise, it’s just waving the Sonic by any other description. Show us the smarts and thought behind it, even if it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny (that we can put down to The Doctor not having the time or possibly inclination to really explain it). For instance, in The Dalek Invasion Of Earth. Using a plastic comb to overcome a magnetic lock. It’s utter bunkum when you stop and think (spesh as such things are commonplace nowadays, and an effective security measure). But there it worked, because it wasn’t just handwavium. There was a logic and explanation behind it, and in that specific example even a reason why something that shouldn’t have worked actually worked.
Compare to the ‘you didn’t even try the door, did you’ from the otherwise superb Day of the Doctor. Looking back, that was a self-critique that Moffat identifies, but doesn’t really address later on. Which was a waste.
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
The Doctor feels a bit generic, but then they always are with a fresh actor in the role. Looking forward to Whittaker putting her own stamp on the character. Seeing Sheffield(especially parts I recognized) on Who was equal parts great and really odd though 
