Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Doctor Who Regeneration 03: Reversing the Polarity

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    I guess a lot now will depend on how much we get about this new other universe race that they've alluded to. The less there is the easier it is to scrub away if they choose because currently pretty much everything is 'The Master said it' which is very easily undone

    Comment


      There's no real reason to, though. As Marty says, canon has been very flexible in Doctor Who and it's an evolving thing and, really, always has been. The whole Time Lord thing only popped up at the end of the Troughton era and the Gallifreyans came and went a few times and, more recently, we've had new Doctors popping up and whole new histories that previously didn't exist. So from what I've read on this since yesterday, it's kind of more of the same and, as you say, it doesn't change much in real terms. I don't hugely consider it a retcon... more just part of an ongoing flow.

      Comment


        It'll be a fun one to see if they go heavy on it as well because in thousands of years the Doctor has only met one pre-Hartnell incarnation once so reasonably shouldn't encounter another for a long time. I wonder if they'll provide context to the Doctor's character nature as well because the ep suggested that pre-Hartnell the Dcotor was largely happy to stay in one place for thousands of years and was very much a Gallifreyan stooge rather than the rebellious always on the move character that's popularised.

        Comment


          Did they ever explain old Tom Baker's appearance?

          Comment


            Nope, there's apparently been some bits related to it in book form but by and large it'll likely be discarded as it's vague in the episode and can be passed off much like Colin Baker being in the previous episode to the one he debuted in. Especially since Chibnall has ignored almost everything that Moffatt did as recently as Series 10. I think Capaldi is still the only one to directly address multiple appearances by the same actor who played the Doctor even it it's only in reference to one of the two non-Doctor roles he's played.

            Comment


              Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
              No, you’re missing some plot points. One was the War Doctor throwing the numbering out of whack and the other is that one of them (Matt Smith maybe?) was given a whole second set of regenerations, which would allow for a lot more Doctors already.
              Also Tennant's failed regeneration was actually considered one of the thirteen too. Which is why when reaching Smith, he was actually life #13 in the scheme of things.
              Lie with passion and be forever damned...

              Comment


                Originally posted by Mayhem View Post
                Also Tennant's failed regeneration was actually considered one of the thirteen too. Which is why when reaching Smith, he was actually life #13 in the scheme of things.
                Ah, yes. That's right. I don't even remember when that 13 number came into it. If I remember correctly (and I might not), in the episodes that were on when I was a kid, nobody knew how many regenerations the Doctor had left and there was always a risk that it wouldn't happen and he'd be dead. Not that it would ever happen but I seem to remember them trying to build in that tension at some points.

                Comment


                  Had a google and I'm not sure on the number but the general regen cycle seems to have appeared in the original series 14.

                  Rewatching the 50th special then the final season and special Smith did it is painfully obvious that episode to episode things are being made up on the fly and as little as months before Smiths exit there still wasn't an intention to make his the last regen of that cycle. Loads of incorrect references etc.

                  That being said, I've mentioned it before but it's still something that irritates me how the Doctor count is always wrong with Whittaker always referred to as number 13 when she's actually number 14.

                  Rule 01 - The 'War Doctor' counts. There's always too much emphasis on the set up for that Doctor and not enough on the point of the plot and its resolution

                  Rule 02 - Never, ever discount John Hurt from anything. It's an honour they get to add him

                  Comment


                    I get why they don't include him, because it would change numbers of existing Doctors and that would be messy. But I can't help but agree. I mean, Paul McGann is always counted and does anyone really consider him when they think of Doctor Who? Maybe but I'm guessing not many people do and John Hurt probably was the Doctor for as long. But then with what I've read about what just happened, it seems to break all numbers... but then that Tom Baker episode that I referred to seemed to have done that a long time ago anyway by showing pre-Hartnell Doctors. Which makes the numbering system more about the actors than anything solid.

                    Edit: But then considering Mayhem's point, Tennant should technically be two numbers so it's probably fine that it's arbitrary.
                    Last edited by Dogg Thang; 05-03-2020, 15:23.

                    Comment


                      McGann also did a lot of Big Finish audios so there's plenty of "canon" material out there.
                      Lie with passion and be forever damned...

                      Comment


                        Forgot to add this one though eventually a rewatch as always will come into play:

                        The Timeless Children
                        I enjoyed the episode, whilst I don't feel the retcons are that good I think they were delivered in an entertaining enough manner even if it did render the Cybermen redundant along with Jack's earlier warning. I think there's the danger of allowing reveals to carry and episode too much and overall whilst this was decent enough fun I don't think it was up there with the better season finale's still even if it was much better than season 11's.

                        Series 01 - 4 Strong Episodes (Total 4 for Eccleston)
                        Series 02 - 2 Strong Episodes
                        Series 03 - 3 Strong Episodes
                        Series 04 - 8 Strong Episodes (Total 15 for Tennant)
                        Series 05 - 3 Strong Episodes
                        Series 06 - 5 Strong Episodes
                        Series 07 - 4 Strong Episodes (Total 12 for Smith)
                        Series 08 - 2 Strong Episodes
                        Series 09 - 3 Strong Episodes
                        Series 10 - 3 Strong Episodes (Total 8 for Capaldi)
                        Series 11 - 2 Strong Episodes
                        Series 12 - 1 Strong Episode

                        I'm not that down as many seem to be on the internet with this most recent run. Despite the lack of standout episodes I feel this was a lot more consistent a run than the previous one and started to click some elements into place. We're definitely at the point where the companions have proven themselves to be the shows weakest since its revival and are due time to be axed but the writers seem to be starting to get to grips with Whittaker and are taking her into a more self sufficient territory which serves her much better as it cuts down on the CBBC vibe that sometimes came on too heavy in her first run and instead let's her emerge from a group as she should as the shows lead. Potentially the next run could very well be her best even if I expect several of the shows current issues will continue.

                        Comment


                          Very interesting backlash on this. Oodles of fans narked off. Very interesting.

                          I'm not really a proper fan, I was brought up in the Tom Baker era and watched all of Peter Davison after that and loved them both but I kinda went off it when my nuts went fuzzy and I ended up watching the Eccleston series and it just felt like toytown PC kiddie stuff for the nippers.

                          It does seem the BBC have been hellbent on annoying the fans with this recent Who activity. Else they're trying to torpedo the show.

                          I don't even care if he or it is now officially a woman, tbh. I don't really care because I haven't been interested for a long time.

                          But it's popcorn stuff, it's fun.

                          PS "he has a woman's bottom!"

                          Comment


                            As much as there was a backlash over the casting of a femal Doctor the BBC were probably braced well for that. They're probably in full panic though now that the complaints have moved towards the show itself and the viewing figures have tanked down as well, apparently the finale did poorly for figures as well.

                            Comment


                              It's dropping figures in the US, too. Beeb just seems to be shooting itself in the foot at the moment. This thing is a cash cow and it's been raking in the revenue. Very weird manoeuvre, have they not seen all the recent STAR WARS backlash?!

                              Seriously, thinking as a highly logical person as I occasionally can, I perceive it as foolhardy to completely disregard the wishes of a vast, loyal and well-established fanbase who've supported the show for over half a century.

                              These are the peeps who are gonna buy the merch, the DVD boxsets, the Cyberman heads, the sonic screwdriver dildos (or is it 'dildoes'?)

                              Auntie Beeb, these are the guys who will KEEP GIVING YOU THE CA$H. They will MAKE YOU MONEY. They WILL BE A CONSTANT STREAM OF INCOME for you. Give them what they want and they'll keep coming back!

                              I'll be honest, I have no nostalgia for the old Dr Who I used to like and I absolutely despised the Eccleston and later shows so I have no vested interest here, it's just I actually feel insulted for the fans, in a way. Especially fans who've been paying their licence fees all along.

                              Even if there was no licence fee, I'd still find it an odd decision to do what they did. Just seems idiotic. Chucking it all down the drain.

                              A. Always

                              B. Be

                              C. Closing

                              Absolute deadbeats.

                              I've never seen so much YouTube bitching about something, it's getting panned worse than PICARD, lol.

                              Comment


                                As someone who was never a huge DW fan, getting into the modern series also took me back to the classics, so I've been watching both.

                                Currently on S3 of the modern series which has some great eps ... and classic-wise I watched Season 19 a while back which was Peter Davison's first and currently watching Season 12, which was Tom Baker's.

                                Getting through all these at a snail's pace but that's fine, it's nice to savour them. Love watching some of the extras on the Classic Series blu-rays too ... huge amount of effort and content. And nostalgia too with plenty of clips from other tv shows of the period like Blue Peter and Wogan

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X