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Doctor Who Regeneration 03: Reversing the Polarity

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    #76
    -Dark Water-
    This episode sadly falls to the same issues many other Who two parters do. The episode starts off strong, a well handled scene see's Danny killed by road accident whilst he's on the phone to Clara and time passes by before she can get hold of the Doctor. She hides what's happened from him in an effort to set the stage to threaten him into going back in time and saving Danny. The opening ten minutes set the stage for an interesting dynamic, a companion outright betraying his trust and then being caught out on it when he works out what's going on. The trouble is, this is wrapped up straight away and the action moves on to nothing but padding for a reveal that is too obvious to build suspense for. The whole thing culminates in a bog standard Cyberman invasion plan with Missy's arrival heralding something of a rehash of Simm's plotline, Missy still feeling like she's uncomfortable to watch thanks to grating over acting. Only the series finale left.

    Series 01 - 4 Strong Episodes
    Series 02 - 2 Strong Episodes
    Series 03 - 3 Strong Episodes
    Series 04 - 8 Strong Episodes
    Series 05 - 3 Strong Episodes
    Series 06 - 5 Strong Episodes
    Series 07 - 4 Strong Episodes
    Series 08 - 2 Strong Episode So Far

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      #77
      -Death in Heaven-
      Just in time for the new series I at least managed to wrap up the eighth series even if one special remains. This finale is the one that see's Missy fully unleash her plan - a plan that is as basic as converting mankind to Cybermen. For reasons never explained convenient ones won't kill loved ones when it suits the writers and her plan to give control of them to the Doctor so he'll turn evil is so weak it undermines her character from the outside due to its sheer stupidity. The episode is fine but it's the kind of low effort two parter story you'd normally get earlier in a series. The stakes are never fully felt and the wrap up feels empty because you just don't buy what they're selling, everything hangs on a relationship the viewer was never invested in, a Doctor who's never that likeable and Clara who's becoming progressively suicidal. On rewatch the arc of the season makes more sense but the execution is lacking.

      Series 01 - 4 Strong Episodes
      Series 02 - 2 Strong Episodes
      Series 03 - 3 Strong Episodes
      Series 04 - 8 Strong Episodes
      Series 05 - 3 Strong Episodes
      Series 06 - 5 Strong Episodes
      Series 07 - 4 Strong Episodes
      Series 08 - 2 Strong Episode So Far

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        #78
        New Doctor Who started last night. We all watched it and loved it, from our 9 year old all the way up to us in our 40s. And our dog but I'm honestly not sure how much she got from it. I really liked that it was a fresh start and is building things from here rather than retaining a carry over companion and storyline. The story was very generic though with a Predator riff that reminded me of when Voyager also did a Predator thing but, in a way, I think maybe that worked in its favour because the basic plot meant they could spend time on getting to know these new characters without having to worry about a complex narrative. The Doctor was superb and I was pleasantly surprised by that game show host guy, who I didn't expect to take to because he's that game show host guy.

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          #79
          To put my thoughts in the same mould as the other eps I've been working through:

          -The Woman Who Fell to Earth-

          It was a lot of intrigue in the new cast carrying what was a very average episode, when the sheen wears off possibly even a poor one. Definitely any sense of disappointment though came from the storyline rather than the cast who don't really get much time to come up for air but never felt like anyone was dragging it down.

          First eps are always tough for new Doctors, you tend to be at the first years finale before they're properly bedded in so from last nights episode I find it hard to say much about Whittaker as there's little to go on beyond her being likeable enough. She held her own but it did just feel like, intended or not, she was made to do a Tennant/Smith impression for an hour. Made it easy to digest her entry but gave little sense of what she'll bring to the role beyond a Yorkshire accent so coming episodes will decide how she sits in but I at least appreciated blowing all the misery dust we had from Capaldi's run off the show. The rest of the cast was fine, they still need time to bed in too as there's too many to get used to. The set up with Walsh seems solid, the young guy seems the most central of the three though he's the weakest actor of the bunch, the police woman friend was the most redundant for this one.

          The show looked, very cheap sometimes, especially the forest Hershey's kiss they were looking at but I didn't mind the Predator alien they were up against. Glad I stayed watching afterwards for the Ep2 trailer, looks decent enough as a follow up, the Coming Soon guest stars reel was weird.

          So yeah, fine even if it felt overly cribbed from past Doctor's entry tales, not sure it'll hold up well to rewatch as time goes on though. Hopefully, with immediate intro's covered it'll bed in quickly especially given they've cut the episode count for the series again.

          Series 01 - 4 Strong Episodes
          Series 02 - 2 Strong Episodes
          Series 03 - 3 Strong Episodes
          Series 04 - 8 Strong Episodes
          Series 05 - 3 Strong Episodes
          Series 06 - 5 Strong Episodes
          Series 07 - 4 Strong Episodes
          Series 08 - 2 Strong Episode So Far
          Series 11 - 0 Strong Episodes So Far

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            #80
            Doctor Who: The Woman Who Fell to Earth was watched by 8.2 million viewers, a share of 40.1% of the total TV audience, according to unofficial overnight ... (from Doctor Who News)


            The overnight viewing figures for the show were the highest in a decade.

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              #81
              I imagine putting in front of Strictly didn't hurt.

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                #82
                -The Ghost Monument-
                Overall I fared better with this episode, mostly I think because there was less setting things up and it was more straight forward. It was a fluff episode though, one best not thought about too much. Whittaker seemed more settled in the role this time around and was easy to watch, she's still coming across like she's doing an impression but it's settling away from one of Smith and more into Tennant. The obvious season arc nods felt very RTD era and similarly the bad guys were suitably weak. I'll happily take time out though to say - new opening titles, gorgeous. Not quite as impressive is the new Tardis interior, it's okay but once again has a very Tennant vibe, the corals swapped for crystals. They'll no doubt lighten it up as it goes on just as they did with Tennant but the crystal pillars looked like they needed pulling back, it's clearly a big room but the central console area looks so cramped. Companions wise, Bradley Walsh is easily pulling ahead of the other two. Taking the focus off Ryan left him with mostly just the bad acting whilst Yaz... I still don't really know why she's there. Consistent with the first ep overall I'd say.

                Series 01 - 4 Strong Episodes
                Series 02 - 2 Strong Episodes
                Series 03 - 3 Strong Episodes
                Series 04 - 8 Strong Episodes
                Series 05 - 3 Strong Episodes
                Series 06 - 5 Strong Episodes
                Series 07 - 4 Strong Episodes
                Series 08 - 2 Strong Episode So Far
                Series 11 - 0 Strong Episodes So Far

                Comment


                  #83
                  I thought it was generally pretty great. The characters are really working for me and, again, surprised by the game show guy who puts in a solid performance. The one big downside to this episode for me was that it fell into a trap Doctor Who has often fallen into - a plot that feels like it should have been simple but was complex enough and required enough leaps to need constant explanation as the story went on. The characters were always telling us what was happening.

                  Bonus points for featuring one of the best probation workers from Misfits.

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                    #84
                    Yep, they pushed the mystery behind the planet quite a lot and it seemed to come at the expense of the ending (which was very abrupt) and a better explanation of why the Tardis was fluxing so far away from Earth (and the desperate need for them needing to get to it in time)

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                      #85
                      No YOU’RE crying at an episode of Doctor Who.

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                        #86
                        They've pulled me back in with this season, great stuff so far.

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                          #87
                          Was it Doctor Who or Quantum Leap last night?

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                            #88
                            I go that vibe too:

                            Rosa
                            It was much like the first two episodes for me, decent but flawed. I'm liking that they're location shooting more, just a shame they seem to have spent the budget on flights rather than effects as even some basic shots look cheap as now. Despite the modern pop song at the end the wrap up worked well, I liked the approach of protecting events as well, done without lots of sci-fi terminology. The bad guy will presumably return as he was handled very poorly. Yas remains redundant and it's beginning to grate on me how terribly the Ryan guy is at acting. It feels like there's some good mileage to get out the character of Graham and the new Doctor but both feel heavily restrained by dragging run time baggage of the other two and it's more concerning because next weeks ep looks okay but not like it'll be focused on showcasing the companions again. 'Ryan's' so bad an actor that I'd cut him loose then repurpose Yas for a tighter group if things continue as is, definitely reaching a point of needing companion focused episodes though.

                            Series 01 - 4 Strong Episodes
                            Series 02 - 2 Strong Episodes
                            Series 03 - 3 Strong Episodes
                            Series 04 - 8 Strong Episodes
                            Series 05 - 3 Strong Episodes
                            Series 06 - 5 Strong Episodes
                            Series 07 - 4 Strong Episodes
                            Series 08 - 2 Strong Episode So Far
                            Series 11 - 0 Strong Episodes So Far

                            Comment


                              #89
                              I agree with some of what you're saying SF. The writing isn't quite as smart as Moffatt's, the episode was generally a bit jittery, the baddie was fairly redundant. But I do like Ryan. I'm guessing you don't know anyone with dyspraxia. I like all the companions already, I think the team gel really well and Whittaker is doing a great job. The show feels stripped back, current and fresh. The show has real heart.

                              You also seem to have missed the fact that that was possibly the most important episode of Doctor Who ever. The show isn't for us, it's for kids, and I find it wonderful that the show can swing from a tooth faced monster that has them hiding behind the sofa to a heartfelt episode about he civil rights movement showing them how far we've come and how far we have to go, with characters of colour using the word "Paki" on pre-watershed Sunday telly. Amazing stuff.
                              Last edited by Super Monkey Balls; 22-10-2018, 11:45.

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                                #90
                                As a dad of a child with dyspraxia, never underestimate how important for people to see themselves represented in stories. But even aside from that, I really like Ryan.

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