Jump to content

Doctor Who


DRW50

Recommended Posts

  • Members

I was unsure about the episode before it aired, because I just don't think grafting social issues onto Doctor Who is the best idea (I know it's been done before but many times the results have made me cringe, especially in the revival), and because there's something a bit offputting in 2018 about a white character saving the day for a historical figure, and because the scripts so far haven't exactly filled me with confidence. 

 

Overall I thought it was good - better than I thought it would be, anyway. The rightful decision to strip away goofy asides meant that Jodie Whittaker delivered what I'd say is by far her best performance as The Doctor, making the role her own with many moments of seriousness and quiet strength (and she did have a few small comedic bits, which she nailed). Beyond that, the biggest assets came from the multi-companion format, especially since two of the companions are people of color who would experience prejudice directly. Their private conversation was the highlight of the episode for me, and touched on some complicated truths that I wasn't expecting. And it's so great to see companions who, while they clearly like and respect the Doctor and are enjoying the journey together, do not exist for the Doctor.

 

I did think Bradley Walsh was terrific in this episode, and made what could have been tone deaf (the white companion devastated and outraged by racism) feel much more natural and believable, but I'm glad he wasn't the only voice. In earlier years I can imagine a lot of scenes of Rose or Donna crying in closeup about how bad racism was, which both Billie and Catherine would have acted the hell out of, but it just wouldn't have fit the tone. I'm also glad the Doctor was, while clearly disgusted by what she was seeing, more conscious of staying in the background, instead of what we have gotten with some past Doctors, which amounts to focusing too much on how awesome it is that the Doctor hates racists and putting the suffering of the actual people being discriminated against in the background. 

 

I think my biggest complaints are that I didn't really understand why Ryan didn't immediately clock that he would experience racism when they got to 1955 (he may not have known a lot of history but he would have known that, surely), I didn't know why the Doctor didn't have them return to the TARDIS (before they decided they couldn't) for more appropriate clothes, and why this needed a sci-fi element at all.

 

I get the whole idea of telling us that the future also has racism (which would have been more profound if the scene itself hadn't been so clunky), but I really, really wish this could have been a flat out historical, with the Doctor and her companions preventing natural occurrences for the time period to help make sure history happens. I think this could have been done without taking away from Rosa's fight, and would have made for a more cohesive and powerful episode. 

 

I also thought that the locals were all one-dimensional props. While I understand why they did not want to go the usual route of inserting a sympathetic and wonderful white character, as we so often get in these types of subjects (Roots, The Help, etc.) having so many different caricatures, many of whom struggled badly with their attempts at Southern accents, made the episode feel much more artificial than it needed to be. 

 

(and while I understand why they didn't want to insert all kinds of material about MLK as well, him being introduced so randomly for one short sequence made me wonder if something with Ryan's story was cut for time)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Replies 1.2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Members

I have never found Chris Chibnall capable of producing a DW that meets the creative standards of Davies or Moffat, though they were neither without flaws. This opinion has not changed.

 

If he goes it would be very foolish of her to do so. And it's ridiculous IMO for him to suggest he can't meet the yearly standard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Members

The gap year has been confirmed. I suppose BBCA better hope Killing Eve’s second season really breaks out ratingswise (a possibility) because their biggest show will be off the air for all of 2019 save for the Jan. 1 special.

 

First look at the New Year’s special.

 

Please register in order to view this content

 

Edited by Costello
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Yeah. I wonder if Toby Whithouse was ever in contention to be showrunner. His episodes, while never my favorites, were certainly levels better than Chibnall ever produced as a writer for DW, and Being Human proved he could do rich character work with a lot of humor. But I suppose the massive success of Broadchurch trumped all of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 I gave Chibnall a shot, but he has benefitted tremendously from a massive media push, the novelty of the paradigm shift of a female Doctor, and the natural change in the prior old DW order which was ready to end. Because of those factors, I think regardless of the showrunner you would've still seen a similar viewer surge as we've seen this year with a new Doctor and focus, especially a female one.

I welcomed Jodie, still do and think she deserves a lot better than the frankly bland show I feel he's putting out. Drama credentials aside, Chibnall has never been among the top tier of available Who/sci-fi talent and has given her the least creatively formidable start of any modern Doctor IMO. Even Series 2 had its highlights and took risks. I just don't feel he has. And I don't feel he will. And it's a shame, because the sooner Jodie Whittaker gets a very strong team behind her the better. This is no way to showcase the first female star of this series.

 

My personal feelings about Chibnall's run aside though, I don't think the show is in a position of weakness right now, at least not in the public eye and with its figures. I think it could very easily be, if they continue to just let the show amble along and take a ton of time off. It's not smart, IMO. Strike while the iron is hot, because this is the hottest the franchise has been in several years. (And I say that as someone who thought Capaldi and Moffat managed a minor miracle rebooting the show's tone and style in Series 8 and never got enough credit for it.) I feel this is primed for a Series 7 type of malaise, and neither Chibnall nor anyone else involved is remotely prepared to weather that IMO.

I should probably dial it back before I'm turning into one of the doomsayers who thought every new year since 2005 was 1989 all over again. We're definitely not anywhere near there - the numbers are great and it's very hot with the public atm. I just wish Jodie Whittaker was getting a better show and a better overall situation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I think time slot has helped a lot too. More people are at home on Sundays, so live virewing has increased, and at least in the States, it helps that TWD is in steep decline, the female-focused CW genre shows did sorta meh, Outlander isn’t as fresh, and HBO and Showtime didn’t have any big fall launches. Network programming on Sunday nights has become dismal, aside from all things NFL. Doctor Who benefits from that. Most of the new interest has come from younger women, while interest from younger men has stagnated or even decreased. They’ll need to figure out how to either get the younger men back (doubtful) or stem any losses from women, who’ve been pretty loyal this season. 

Edited by Costello
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • To me, that made no difference. The point stands whether Eva wants to be a Dupree or not. Anita was 110% on top of things. Also it's a logical inference that Eva might be interested in having a place in her supposedly real family. Frankly though I wonder if Eva knows how to feel ... yet. She could really be confused.
    • Does Jack ever dress in drag during that early '00s period where he was trying to get Jennifer back...or does he just fake being gay around then?
    • Here you go, by special request! https://www.instagram.com/p/DJlXDnWJImW/ DAYS 9-26-90 Matt Ashford as Jack Deveraux in drag
    • Concluding 1976... Raymond Schafer arrives in Springfield and begins an extensive probe into Malcolm’s death, puzzling Ed, who wonders why most of Schafer’s question sessions keep turning back to Rita’s involvement with Malcolm. Ed assures the man that Rita’s only connection with Malcolm was as his nurse; he is unaware that Schafer knows a great deal more about Rita than he does. Just to protect Rita, Ed has Mike check on Schafer’s credentials, and learns that he’s a  well-respected criminal attorney. The waitress at the restaurant where Malcolm suffered his stroke tells Schafer that the woman who was with him reacted very professionally to the sudden emergency, as if she were a nurse. Realizing that her little sister has fallen hard for Tim, Rita warns him that she’s very vulnerable and innocent, but Tim tells Rita her advice isn’t necessary. But Tim then receives a plum job offer to be chief neurological resident at a prestigious Philadelphia hospital and can’t pass up the opportunity. Evie is crushed by the news and spends the next several days at home crying. Joe Werner, fully recovered, has accepted a post as a medical aide in a destitute village in India and leaves alone, with Sarah to follow him later. Justin asks Sarah to consider a partnership with him in private practice, but she explains that she thrives on the hospital atmosphere. When a call comes from India that Joe has had another massive attack, Sarah leaves on the next available flight and arrives only moments before he dies. The painful news is relayed back to Cedars at once. Sara returns from India a heartbroken woman, but the day-to-day involvement of raising T.J. and of her career seem to be her salvation. Justin shows a surprisingly compassionate and understanding side to Sara, but, ironically, Justin’s ex-wife, Jackie, arrives in Springfield with her diabetic father, who is suffering from a heart attack. In the process of consulting with Justin on her father’s condition, Jackie comes face to face with Sara for the first time since their college days. Evie’s heartbreak at Tim’s departure turns to fury and hatred when she inadvertently discovers a letter which Tim wrote to Rita just after he left. In it he concedes that Rita was right about Evie’s vulnerability where he was concerned but reminds Rita that he badly hurt her in the same way she feared Evie would suffer. Evie is now sure that Rita somehow forced Tim to leave town and is livid at the idea that Tim was Rita’s lover. She insists she’s cutting off her relationship with Rita and will pay her back for any help she’s received in the past. Ben and Hope’s wedding plans are off, as Ben, while still insisting he’s innocent, won’t explain why the robbery evidence points to him. Hope feels his unwillingness to tell her the truth makes marriage to him impossible, but confides to Ann that she is miserable without him. Ben has echoed these sentiments to Mike but won’t confide in him, either as Hope’s father or as an attorney.   Holly is trying very hard to build a life without Ed, but since she sees him virtually every day at work,she’s unable to put him out of her mind. She accepts a date with a member of the hospital administration staff but is unable to avoid making comparisons between Ed and this young man and winds up alone, sadly holding Ed’s picture and recalling how much she loves him. Believing that the hospital board’s conclusions on Grainger’s death have settled the question once and for all, Rita has regained her self-confidence, and her romance with Ed is growing daily. They admit their love for each other, and Ed confides that he intentionally  held back with Rita for fear of making another mistake. Rita then tells Ed she has never married because for her marriage must be forever. Rita’s mother realizes that Rita is truly in love when she confides in her that she doesn’t understand why she’s been so lucky in having him love her and how she wants to be the very best person she can be for him. Ed proposes marriage to Rita and gives her time to think about it before answering. Rita painfully realizes that her past could, if it rose again against her, make a life with Ed a lost dream. But Raymond Shaefer has been quietly but efficiently carrying on his investigation and has learned that Grainger argued with Rita at her apartment. He presents the evidence he’s compiled to District Attorney Eric Van Gelder, who decides the case warrants further investigation. Rita goes to Ed’s office to tell him she loves him but can’t marry him, that she doesn’t deserve him and “can’t do it to him.” As she turns from a confused Ed to leave, she finds the district attorney and a police officer outside Ed’s door, waiting to arrest her. Ed, insisting that a serious mistake has been made, calls Mike to help her as Rita, shocked and humiliated, is taken under arrest through the hallways of the hospital in which she works. Mike manages Rita’s release on bail only after she has had to submit to the degrading booking procedure. Mike sees her alone at her apartment, explaining he can help her only if she tells him the whole truth. Rita equivocates until Mike mentions Texas, indicating to Rita that he knows at least some of the story. Van Gelder has, in fact, let Mike see the bulk of evidence in the case against Rita, to convince him her arrest wasn’t a capricious whim. Rita explains to Mike that Malcolm believed she intentionally vilified him to his father, to do him out of his rightful inheritance, and then wanted his father dead to collect her money. Mike expresses his appreciation of Rita’s honesty, promising to help her. But Rita’s tormented dreams confirm that she hasn’t yet told all the truth, and after Peggy visits, expressing firm support, Rita tells Roger she has to reveal his part in the story. Roger painfully tells Rita about his being Christina’s father to show her that if Ed knew, it would end Rita’s chances with him forever. Rita, who was ready to tell Ed the whole story, now realizes how risky that would be. Adding to Rita’s pain is her forced leave of absence from the hospital until she’s cleared and the embarrassment of seeing her name in the headlines.
    • Please register in order to view this content

         
    • Yes, but the stories are all pretty awful Seeing Victor rehashing his hatred of the Abbotts  when he married one of them and has a daughter that is half Abbott as well as walking around with Traci's daughter's heart keeping him alive makes him look worse than he already is. And I remember he and Jack chatting amicably in the past few years. Victor interfering in Kyle/Claire is just repeat of Billy/Victoria. Sharon, Nick,Phyllis etc are around but again the stories are lacking.
    • I think Kevin's 1996 Emmy was fair enough. He barely appeared for his second. I don't think anyone else on the list is that deserving but I might have gone with Moore as he did try with the whole Keesha AIDS story. @alwaysAMC Thanks to slick jones' cast list I was able to see that Nikki Rene played Tina. Not much on her, as you mentioned. Tap and a few Broadway listings (it doesn't help that a younger actress with a similar name is in a lot of roles). Nikki Rene: Credits, Bio, News & More | Broadway World https://onceonthisisland.fandom.com/wiki/Nikki_Rene Nikki Rene - IMDb
    • Thank you. That does ring a bell. I remember Theresa and Julian's drunk, giggly fake wedding (with Julian asking "Whassup?" to the minister). Was Bruce tricking the pair as a prank, or did somebody put him up to it? I especially liked Katherine recalling how dashing young Alistair was when he'd pick up Rachel for dates, and how she wished she could be her sister, then feeling guilty once Rachel had her boating accident ...
    • And Kevin Mambo beat Shemar Moore for those two Emmys. I chalk up the wins to the voters not wanting Jonathan Jackson to eventually end up with a five peat (he won 1995, 1998, 1999). These were the 1996 and 1997 Younger Actor races. 1996: Nathan Fillion, Jonathan Jackson, Kevin Mambo (winner), Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow 1997: Steve Burton, Jonathan Jackson, Kevin Mambo (winner), Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy