[TV] Dr who- spoilers.

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

A mixed series but the ending was awful, I am not sure who it is trying to appeal to and tried to cram in too much. Needs a rest then somebody completely new coming in with a smaller budget but get back to basics.

Yes, I can't remember what happened, why the silly 'journalist' bot was involved or what triggered the regeneration.

Coincidentally in my parallel journey through historic episodes I am watching the original 'Rani'. Why has Kate O'Mara been caked in brown make-up? Is she supposed to be Indian? Christ. Boy did Dr Who go off the boil when Tom Baker left. Both Davison (good for a while, especially the Guardians episodes) and Peter Baker.... who were they pitching this to? Peri's tits now constantly centre stage, the Doctor increasingly grumpy and the narrative increasing violent and cruel. Plus Ainley scuttling about as the Master like a headless chicken. I can see where this is headed....licorice allsorts!
But I shall plough on....

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I am not sure who it is trying to appeal to

I'd argue that bit is pretty obvious. A gay man is the doctor, with a strong female character as his assistant with LGBTQ, disability and incels as storylines that ripple through the series. Its brick subtle in it's application and I seem to remember (I can't be bothered to look it up) that RTD even said he didn't care if he lost the core base.

That can all be fine if it's done in a thoughtful way but it's just so obviously gammon baity and preachy that it has viewing figures that are so low. It's culture war first, story telling 2nd.

 

[JBizzle]

I'd argue that bit is pretty obvious. A gay man is the doctor, with a strong female character as his assistant with LGBTQ, disability and incels as storylines that ripple through the series. Its brick subtle in it's application and I seem to remember (I can't be bothered to look it up) that RTD even said he didn't care if he lost the core base.

That can all be fine if it's done in a thoughtful way but it's just so obviously gammon baity and preachy that it has viewing figures that are so low. It's culture war first, story telling 2nd.

I don't think it's "culture war" per se, but I do think RTD is using the show as a vehicle for his views rather than putting story-telling first. Some of it is laughably ham-fisted. When done right, as I think it has done in the past, then it can be great TV. When done badly, it's just poor writing.

 

[Deadly Danson]

I can see where this is headed....licorice allsorts!
But I shall plough on....

Don't knock the Kandyman - love the final 2 McCoy seasons.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I don't think it's "culture war" per se, but I do think RTD is using the show as a vehicle for his views rather than putting story-telling first. Some of it is laughably ham-fisted. When done right, as I think it has done in the past, then it can be great TV. When done badly, it's just poor writing.

The frustrating thing is that we know he can be a decent show runner as evidenced first time around. Dr Who has always been a bit camp - that was part of the charm - but he's just dialled that up to 11 which isn't to everyone's taste. My teenage lad tuned in on Saturday "to see how bad it is".I'm not sure that was the under 30s market he was quite looking to capture.

 

[Curious Orange]

I enjoyed the penultimate episode, but the finale was a bit messy for my liking, and left me with several questions.

Why the big Omega build up only to sideline him as a protagonist and reduce him to a generic 'monster of the week'?
Why didn't the Doctor follow up on Susan's request to find her.
Anita left the door having repeatedly being told to keep it open, what does that mean for reality?
Who is the boss that says hi?
Is Billie Piper the Doctor? There are plenty of canonical examples of Time Lords taking on the faces of people they've met (Lalla Ward as Romana, Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor) so I don't have a problem if she is, and what does this mean for David Tennant's alternate 'retired' Doctor?
Is the Doctor now in a different timeline to the one of the wish world?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Don't knock the Kandyman - love the final 2 McCoy seasons.

To be honest I have only seen a few episodes.
Professor.

 

[Deadly Danson]

The frustrating thing is that we know he can be a decent show runner as evidenced first time around. Dr Who has always been a bit camp - that was part of the charm - but he's just dialled that up to 11 which isn't to everyone's taste. My teenage lad tuned in on Saturday "to see how bad it is".I'm not sure that was the under 30s market he was quite looking to capture.

I think he's still an excellent showrunner. So many stories in these 2 seasons have been totally unique which isn't to be sniffed at for a 60 year old series. Like every other season in those 60 years there have been stories I've liked, some I've disliked, some that have been a mess and some that have been right up my street. I've no issue with the prominence of LGBTQ characters, the odd disabled character or heaven forbid a strong female - it's about time. There's been about 800 other episodes when they haven't been involved so there's always those for Daily Mail and Sun readers. Apart from anything else writing Dr Who is notoriously extremely tricky - many very famous writers have failed and all 3 recent showrunners have all had their critics and have testified to how hard it is. The good thing with Dr Who is there's always another story to look forward to (eventually) which might be more to your taste.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Well....it looks like it isn't a dead series....

Doctor Who - Teaser: The War Between the Land and the Sea

When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Fungus]

So, did anyone else notice the "Two Ronnies" joke?

 

[Eeyore]

I enjoyed the penultimate episode, but the finale was a bit messy for my liking, and left me with several questions.

Why the big Omega build up only to sideline him as a protagonist and reduce him to a generic 'monster of the week'?
Why didn't the Doctor follow up on Susan's request to find her.
Anita left the door having repeatedly being told to keep it open, what does that mean for reality?
Who is the boss that says hi?
Is Billie Piper the Doctor? There are plenty of canonical examples of Time Lords taking on the faces of people they've met (Lalla Ward as Romana, Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor) so I don't have a problem if she is, and what does this mean for David Tennant's alternate 'retired' Doctor?
Is the Doctor now in a different timeline to the one of the wish world?

And, having safely extracted herself, will Mrs Flood be back ?

 

[Brovion]

Very disappointed to see the end of Gatwa who I thought was an excellent Doctor. Overall I've really liked his stint, shame it was one of the shortest.

However, yes, I thought that last episode was weak and bloated. And what's this about the Doctor and Rani being 'The Last of the Time Lords?', What about the Master? Did I miss him being erased from space/time? When did that happen? And yes, like others I watched it on catch-up and I'd already accidentally seen the BBC's spoilers, which really did spoil it. Also part of me would also have liked to see more of Susan, who just appeared in a teaser role, but part of me is glad they didn't as I don't trust them not to ruin or over-elaborate her backstory in the search of cheap thrills.

So where to now? Will there even be a new series?

 

[Eeyore]

Well....it looks like it isn't a dead series....

Doctor Who - Teaser: The War Between the Land and the Sea

When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered.

www.bbc.co.uk

Looks like it's a five part spin off. Tovey is an excellent actor.

 

[Beanstalk]

Very disappointed to see the end of Gatwa who I thought was an excellent Doctor. Overall I've really liked his stint, shame it was one of the shortest.

However, yes, I thought that last episode was weak and bloated. And what's this about the Doctor and Rani being 'The Last of the Time Lords?', What about the Master? Did I miss him being erased from space/time? When did that happen? And yes, like others I watched it on catch-up and I'd already accidentally seen the BBC's spoilers, which really did spoil it. Also part of me would also have liked to see more of Susan, who just appeared in a teaser role, but part of me is glad they didn't as I don't trust them not to ruin or over-elaborate her backstory in the search of cheap thrills.

So where to now? Will there even be a new series?

Agree with all of this.

Think The Guardian summed up the issue quite nicely:

"Gatwa’s era also seemed to be riding two slightly conflicting horses. Russell T Davies returned as showrunner with the nostalgia rush of having David Tennant and Catherine Tate back in the Tardis for three 60th anniversary specials, then promised a softish reboot with the aim of picking up new audiences and starting afresh as “Season one” with a new Disney+ international distribution deal. But he also opted to bring back companions from the 1960s and 1980s, and have the return of niche villains and enemies that necessitated flashbacks to episodes from the 1970s, which didn’t exactly scream “accessible”."

I'm in my 30s and have been watching this series with my partner who has never experienced Dr. Who and so many of the callbacks felt like weird in jokes I completely missed. If I'm struggling despite being a fan of the show, you've got to ask who it was for?

Anyway, really liked Ncuti as The Doctor and thought the chemistry between him and Belinda was great in this series. Some of the best Doctor/Companion stuff we've had in years (wish they'd have sacked off Ruby though).

 

[BBassic]

I really enjoyed this last season until the point where they started to wrap things up. It was at its best when the Doctor and Belinda were zipping through time and space getting up to stuff. That's always when Doctor Who is at its best.

But as soon as they start trying to tie up the various threads into a satisfying conclusion it all inevitably gets in its own way and falls flat. Belinda, the supposed companion for this season, spent a good chunk of the finale in a literal box. There was a woman who's job was to hold a door open? The big bad original time lord is a kind of monster...dog...thing...

I'm happy to see Billie Piper back because I think she's a wonderful actress but I'm not hopeful that the story of why she's back will be any good.