Doctor Who

[~bl~]

On some of the episodes, the background audio seemed really loud, so it made the speech less clear. I watch everything with closed captioning if available, so I can't say how much I relied on it.

What I think is weird is how Clara comes in and out of her life with the Doctor. I'm waiting for the TARDIS to mess up as it seems like they are just too accurate now.

[marceline]

Well that was a mindfuck.

[Vee]

This is a very, very, very strong run of episodes so far - much stronger than Series 7 and, IMO, possibly Series 5 at this point. And Listen was pretty fantastic.

For my money, there was something there. But what they did with it - the ambiguity of the ending - was brilliant.

Capaldi is already in my top tier of Doctors. Clara will probably never be one of my top ten companions, but she is very, very good this year and JC is doing great work. I do love Samuel Anderson, I just hope the story with him and Clara surprises me a bit more.

When they arrived on the "last planet," my first thought was that these were the creatures from Midnight.

[DRW50]

Bitsa was a show that ran on CBBC from 1991-1996. The hosts came up with wacky contraptions children could also use to feel creative and pass the time. Much like Doctor Who in some ways.

Fittingly enough, the last scenes of the last episode have a surprising nod to Doctor Who. Given that these were the wilderness years of Doctor Who, it's like keeping the show alive, in a way. Nice of them to use this to say goodbye.

Please register in order to view this content

[DRW50]

Please register in order to view this content

[katie_9918]

I really adored Time Heist.

Now if we can just get Danny into the TARDIS...

[DRW50]

Katy Manning set visit, even recreating an old Three/Jo photo. Love it.

https://twitter.com/ManningOfficial

[katie_9918]

Thanks, Moffat!

I can't put my finger on quite why, but I'm enjoying this Doctor a lot. In a way, he says the same things the other Doctors did, but he's less charming and more abrasive and he lacks some of the qualities that made it so easy to ignore or excuse Ten or Eleven.

He reminds me a lot of the 9th Doctor, but he's not quite as harsh as the 6th, in my opinion.

[Vee]

Kill the Moon is getting hosannas and raves from just about every corner of fandom I can see for its story, as well as the press - I think it's quite good, I dunno if it's the top tier for me but it's very close, a bit of a bottle show with a profound moral dilemma up there with any the Doctor has ever faced. And very female-centric, with probably Jenna Coleman's best work on the show (especially her final scene with the Doctor, which makes me question where she will end up), along with Ellis George as Courtney and Hermione Norris, who I dug on Spooks, as the female astronaut. And an incredible performance by Peter Capaldi, who just stands back and makes it clear what he will and will not do. He's redefined the role very, very quickly and dramatically set himself apart from anyone to occupy the role since 2005, if not longer. I don't think he's better than Matt Smith so much as very different, and very, very good.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Vee

[DRW50]

I only go to a few places like DS and tumblr (I only go to DS now because of the ratings - most of the threads are abysmal), and they seemed negative, and talked a lot about how the whole episode was anti-abortion analogies. I'm not really sure if that was the show's intent - I doubt it.

[Vee]

Well, they would be the outliers, then (not that I find them to ever not be, frankly). Most of the response both in the general press, online and offline, and in the fandom has been wildly positive. I actually think it was very good but even I don't think it was as good as most of the fandom.

[DRW50]

I don't read most of the boards (do you mean like Gallifrey Base?), so I end up going to DS and seeing endless threads about how its 1985 again and they're quitting because of Capaldi, etc. I do remember a lot of them liked Listen. I thought it was good, although not as good as some claimed.

Mostly I'm somewhat lethargic about the season, and the last few years.

[Vee]

Gallifrey Base is my go-to for most of the fandom. AV Club, etc. also loved it, I believe. I have seen the abortion thesis elsewhere, I just don't agree with it and I don't see it in the story I watched. And the fury about Capaldi's Doctor being so mean amidst small but determined circles online - when he is no meaner than the First, Third, Fourth, Sixth or Seventh, etc. in certain stories - cracks me up. I do think, though, that this whole series of stories, and particularly his confrontation with Clara at the end of this story, has been leading him up to slowly becoming less crotchety, and learning to walk softly a bit more. (Hopefully not too much.)

I was a bit lethargic about Series 7 to a point, but for me I think this is the best in some time. It rivals Series 6 for me so far, which is my high-water mark for the Moffat era and one of my top tiers for the revival.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Vee

[Vee]

I am two episodes behind, but have found Series 8 to be the show's strongest since - well, Series 6, but I think it's probably the second best of the Moffat run for me after that and one of my top since 2005. Very good and Capaldi is incredible. Anyway, I wanted to bring this here. Per the description, Capaldi replied in-character to a letter from a young fan:

Please register in order to view this content

[DRW50]

Is that the boy he met while they were filming Deep Breath?