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Doctor Who Regeneration 03: Reversing the Polarity

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    #61
    That guitar moment was somewhere in Season 9, the puddle one though was the opener to Season 10 so potentially not much off the current point

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      #62
      That Tardis looks crazy. But then as you say, what it looks like there and what it looks like when lit for the show are probably very different things. I also think nostalgia taints my view of the Tardis because I always loved the clean white versions from when I was a kid rather than the dirty modern ones. Although admittedly they looked much cheaper.

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        #63
        -Deep Breath-
        The whole purpose of this rewatch, reevaluating the Capaldi run in light of the others being fresh in the mind. It begins with his first episode which sadly returns us to Victorian England, a supporting cast that was never as appealing as Moffatt seemed to think they were and had also run their course. The first half is all about the Doctor's struggle to remember his identity and Clara struggling to come to terms with the regeneration before it swings hard into the main plot and loses focus. The central titled element of holding your breath gets one proper scene barring a no suspense retread later on making it a bit redundant, instead we get verbally told about Clara's personality repeatedly. She has an ego, is sarcastic, self absorbed... still repeatedly uttered by the entire cast as this is all brand new information that directly contradicts everything we've ever seen of Clara up until this point and isn't even reflected in this episode either, so blatant and poorly handled is this attempt to reboot a companion who was plainly now supposed to originally survive the previous season. Capaldi gets a few moments but not too much to work with in his first outing, it's never more showcased than the late scene when Matt Smith's Doctor rings Clara to reassure her from the past. The heavy handed attempt to reassure the viewer too via this scene provides its peak moment but at the expense of undermining Capaldi's debut. Not a bad episode overall but its agenda in resetting elements over shadows the plot too much to ignore.

        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 - 0 Strong Episodes So Far

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          #64
          -Into the Dalek-
          I get what they were going for but the concept of the Doctor being cold and mostly uncaring is hard work for the viewer. They might have wanted to avoid repeating the same character type every time but it's a swing and a miss and makes Capaldi's Doctor hard to like from the off. This episode is very much a mixed bag of moments from past Dalek episodes, fast enough to be easy to watch but offering little new.

          -Robot of Sherwood-
          Not many ways to explain this one beyond painful. It's just stupid and misjudged throughout, you have to assume it was written with Smith in mind as Capaldi is epically out of place in this one as he spoon fights with Robin Hood and they banter like children. A slog that's hard to watch and a general low point for the show.

          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 - 0 Strong Episodes So Far

          Comment


            #65
            -Listen-
            An interesting one this as it doesn't necessarily have a bad guy as such, the idea being that the Doctor is chasing a theory that a species may exist that has perfected hiding and that's why people think something is under their bed or why they talk to themselves when no-one is there. The scene with young Danny Pink in the school remains tensely handled and they play the core concept off well alongside some subplot advancement for Clara that ultimately leads up to a nice moment with the Doctor as a child that feeds into the running theme that she is a constant impression on his whole existence. Very well handled episode and the first genuinely strong Capaldi entry.

            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 - 1 Strong Episode So Far

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              #66
              -Time Heist-
              Literally about what the title states, also a pretty weak episode. It essentially lacks the smarts and production design to be appealing with a very dull plot and a look that reeks of TV set throughout. Nothing special here or essential viewing.

              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 - 1 Strong Episode So Far

              Comment


                #67


                Series 11 starts 07 October 2018

                The show will now air on Sundays

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                  #68
                  Also I don't know if any of you guys saw the Doctor Who Mr Men books but they were surprisingly charming. We got the whole set. They have announced one for the new Doctor so that will be insta-buy here.

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                    #69
                    -The Caretaker-
                    The Doctor goes undercover at Clara's school whilst she tries to keep her relationship secret with Danny. To be honest this ones a mixture of dull and weak. It's little surprise that it was hard to warm to Capaldi as nearing halfway through his opening run his incarnation is still defined by his 'I don't care about anything except berating Clara's appearance' attitude.

                    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 - 1 Strong Episode So Far

                    Comment


                      #70
                      -Kill the Moon-
                      The concept that the moon is a giant egg and that the show needed to bring a one note chavvy kid along for the ride who is promptly forgotten should make this one an outright stinker but it's ultimately elevated by the back ends moral quandary and the focus shifting from typical adventuring to a companion actually directly challenging the Doctor's character in a way that doesn't end with that companion being quietened by misinterpreting him. It also finally adds some colour to Capaldi's Doctor, making his cold and berating character hold some context as Clara unloads on his condescending nature leading him to betray her in a way Smith's incarnation never would have. That tense stand off is the episodes highlight and though the next episode continues on from that strand it does so weeks later when things have diffused a lot so potential is really wasted. In this episode though, it marks a stand out for the characters.

                      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

                      Comment


                        #71
                        -Mummy on the Orient Express-
                        This one follows up on Clara's fallout with the Doctor but not really in a satisfactory way, instead it's treated as a way of lurching her character from being the anchor that tries to keep him in line with his past to her being a reckless adrenaline addict that completely unsuits her. The episode itself is very generic considering how long it was in the works and Frank Skinner is neither a decent actor or suited to the role he's guesting in either. It's all pretty forgettable and sweeps away a worthwhile plot development.

                        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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                          #72
                          I like Frank Skinner, but this was basically Frank Skinner playing Frank Skinner.

                          Skinneeeeerrrrrrr!

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                            #73
                            I'd read once that they'd worked on this one for a long time too and it doesn't feel like it at all, even the main villain goes unexplained even though he's supposed to have dogged the Doctor for ages and appears to be super powerful

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                              #74
                              Ahead of the upcoming start of the 14th Doctor's (yes, 14th) tenure it's looking like a hard lock that I'll finish the series I'm on now but definitely won't get rewatches done on the subsequent two in time but at least one Capaldi run is going to be done in time.

                              -Flatline-
                              Wasn't feeling this one when it came to its turn, the one where victims are turned into graffiti, but it's smarter than I remember it being. The visual effect of things going to 2D or the enemy half turned 3D etc are all very well done and suitably creepy enough for Who. The mini-Tardis stuff is the worst bit but whilst I'd stop short of calling this a strong episode, it's a good one.

                              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

                              Comment


                                #75
                                -The Forest in the Night-
                                There's some okay callback to Clara and Doctor's argument again in this episode where trees overgrow the world but broadly it's pretty lazily followed through on as a concept, focused on six dull school kids and less on how millions of people seem to have vanished without reference. The closing scene with a lost sister returning is far more creepy than it is emotional too, generally quite a poor effort.

                                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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