08-12-2017, 14:46
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13-12-2017, 01:13
13-12-2017, 01:51
17-12-2017, 08:57
I felt Capaldi was let down by various episodes that were quite weak.
Some were astonishingly good, like when he was trapped in that time loop, dying repeatedly in the castle.
Both Tennant and Smith were my personal favorite Who's, but they too had the odd dodgy, head-sctratching episode.
What really let the Smith Era down was the fast-paced episodes that rushed us towards his final bow.
Amy Pond was my favorite ever companion, but they made out like she was so bored by it all and that they'd taken her character as far as she could go... so write her out much sooner then! Lol, all this time later and I'm still so annoyed. What a geek I truly am!
I am looking forward to Jodie Albert's debut & my fingers are crossed for a Paternosta Gang (totally guessed the spelling) origin story at some point.
Some were astonishingly good, like when he was trapped in that time loop, dying repeatedly in the castle.
Both Tennant and Smith were my personal favorite Who's, but they too had the odd dodgy, head-sctratching episode.
What really let the Smith Era down was the fast-paced episodes that rushed us towards his final bow.
Amy Pond was my favorite ever companion, but they made out like she was so bored by it all and that they'd taken her character as far as she could go... so write her out much sooner then! Lol, all this time later and I'm still so annoyed. What a geek I truly am!
I am looking forward to Jodie Albert's debut & my fingers are crossed for a Paternosta Gang (totally guessed the spelling) origin story at some point.
17-12-2017, 16:57
Got round to getting the -fairly inessential?- "Shada" DVD with the animated episodes.
Yes I know
but in my defence I didn't buy the previous DVD version - despite having no way of playing my old 1990s VHS version.
It's alright. I think probably Douglas Adams's contribution to Dr Who is over-venerated, it doesn't help that much of it is now very over-familiar from later reuse in Dirk Gently and etc.
My over-riding feeling is that it would probably have been a great 4 parter, but 6 parts is over-long. I'm sure they had a nice time filming in Cambridge in 1979, but dialogue-free shots of Skagra walking about in his ridiculous cape and hat carrying a carpet bag just seem to be padding. (Just as endless dialogue-free shots of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward running across streets in Paris do in City of Death).
Even scenes where Chris Parsons seems to take takes minutes to bicycle and walk across quads and ask people directions just seem unnecessary. You might have a 30 second shot now.
Likewise, in this respect some of the animation seems redundant to me narrative-wise? : I can see how 1970s Dr Who would show a minute or two of dialogue-less scenes of Chris Parsons bicycling around Cambridge on the way to his physics lab for padding out a 25 minute episode's running time (although they obviously didn't film this sequence, or they'd have the footage, which suggests to me they planned to just show him entering a set on studio). So to me it's less excusable to do this in animation when as far as I can see the story really doesn't need it : the time and money spent animating sequences like this in the first place doesn't seem to be justified ? You could have just had him coming straight in the door without laboriously cycling all the way and then being animated walking past the windows viewed from inside of the laboratory.
They have wisely done this DVD version in a continuous feature film format that dispenses with the title sequences and cliffhanger reprises of each episode and just has first episode title sequence and a final credit sequence right at the very end.
They have made a slightly odd choice in my view to put the introductory scene of Skagra stealing all the scientists minds and leaving them all ga-ga in the space station laboratory as a "pre-credit" sequence at the beginning of episode one.
There are a few extras, including the obligatory Tony Hadoke interview/commentary.
Personally, I'd like to have seen them spend the money on animating a missing Troughton story like "Evil of the Daleks", "The Abominable Snowman" or "Fury From the Deep", but I suspect outside the small fan collector market the commercial demand for these antiques would be very low.
Yes I know
but in my defence I didn't buy the previous DVD version - despite having no way of playing my old 1990s VHS version.It's alright. I think probably Douglas Adams's contribution to Dr Who is over-venerated, it doesn't help that much of it is now very over-familiar from later reuse in Dirk Gently and etc.
My over-riding feeling is that it would probably have been a great 4 parter, but 6 parts is over-long. I'm sure they had a nice time filming in Cambridge in 1979, but dialogue-free shots of Skagra walking about in his ridiculous cape and hat carrying a carpet bag just seem to be padding. (Just as endless dialogue-free shots of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward running across streets in Paris do in City of Death).
Even scenes where Chris Parsons seems to take takes minutes to bicycle and walk across quads and ask people directions just seem unnecessary. You might have a 30 second shot now.
Likewise, in this respect some of the animation seems redundant to me narrative-wise? : I can see how 1970s Dr Who would show a minute or two of dialogue-less scenes of Chris Parsons bicycling around Cambridge on the way to his physics lab for padding out a 25 minute episode's running time (although they obviously didn't film this sequence, or they'd have the footage, which suggests to me they planned to just show him entering a set on studio). So to me it's less excusable to do this in animation when as far as I can see the story really doesn't need it : the time and money spent animating sequences like this in the first place doesn't seem to be justified ? You could have just had him coming straight in the door without laboriously cycling all the way and then being animated walking past the windows viewed from inside of the laboratory.
They have wisely done this DVD version in a continuous feature film format that dispenses with the title sequences and cliffhanger reprises of each episode and just has first episode title sequence and a final credit sequence right at the very end.
They have made a slightly odd choice in my view to put the introductory scene of Skagra stealing all the scientists minds and leaving them all ga-ga in the space station laboratory as a "pre-credit" sequence at the beginning of episode one.
There are a few extras, including the obligatory Tony Hadoke interview/commentary.
Personally, I'd like to have seen them spend the money on animating a missing Troughton story like "Evil of the Daleks", "The Abominable Snowman" or "Fury From the Deep", but I suspect outside the small fan collector market the commercial demand for these antiques would be very low.
17-12-2017, 19:45
^ I have the steelbook. 
I'm glad they did it because Baker's new dialogue makes it the essential one of the now myriad versions IMO.
This take on it came out of the success of the animation of the missing Troughton 'Power of the Daleks'. Have you not seen it M-L-L? I think the continued success of the animations will prompt more - especially of lost stories featuring well known monsters. There is a evident market now - if a relatively small one.
As for Shada yes I agree some of the animation seems superfluous. And I'd say that this links in with the lauding of Adams that you speak of. The intent was obviously to stick as close to Adams' script as possible (although some scenes were snipped for reasons of pacing and are on the disc as deleted scenes from the audio recording sessions).
The trouble is Shada was massively influenced by the success of 'City of Death'. And it was trying to be the big season finale (as well as the end of the Williams-Adams era of the show), so it was scripted with much of this 'travelogue' footage early on as City had been. I suppose the view was that Chris' bike ride shouldn't be curtailed just because the team never actually managed to shoot it all. Its inclusion does sort of make sense in reflecting the pacing of the show at the time and within the style the production takes in establishing each of the main characters in the story.
A non-episodic version was undoubtedly the best way to go for this one. The pre-title sequence is a result of the 'movie' format choosen although not an inevitable or particularly wise one I'd agree.
I'm glad they did it because Baker's new dialogue makes it the essential one of the now myriad versions IMO.This take on it came out of the success of the animation of the missing Troughton 'Power of the Daleks'. Have you not seen it M-L-L? I think the continued success of the animations will prompt more - especially of lost stories featuring well known monsters. There is a evident market now - if a relatively small one.
As for Shada yes I agree some of the animation seems superfluous. And I'd say that this links in with the lauding of Adams that you speak of. The intent was obviously to stick as close to Adams' script as possible (although some scenes were snipped for reasons of pacing and are on the disc as deleted scenes from the audio recording sessions).
The trouble is Shada was massively influenced by the success of 'City of Death'. And it was trying to be the big season finale (as well as the end of the Williams-Adams era of the show), so it was scripted with much of this 'travelogue' footage early on as City had been. I suppose the view was that Chris' bike ride shouldn't be curtailed just because the team never actually managed to shoot it all. Its inclusion does sort of make sense in reflecting the pacing of the show at the time and within the style the production takes in establishing each of the main characters in the story.
A non-episodic version was undoubtedly the best way to go for this one. The pre-title sequence is a result of the 'movie' format choosen although not an inevitable or particularly wise one I'd agree.
17-12-2017, 20:33
25-12-2017, 19:51
Excellent Xmas special Loved in particular the nods & winks to classic dr who going right back to dr who in the 60’s
Very emotional regeneration & a very good introduction for Jodie Whittaker as the next Doctor
9/10
Loved in particular the nods & winks to classic dr who going right back to dr who in the 60’sVery emotional regeneration & a very good introduction for Jodie Whittaker as the next Doctor
9/10
25-12-2017, 20:50
The Women Doctor That Fell to Earth
An easy piece of Christmas escapism; a slight but fan-pleasing story (at least to fans that are not solidly anti-Moffat revisionism). More character driven than most epsiodes and a nice change of pace - particularly not having an overt villian. The emotionality of NuWho was at its best here I thought; the tugging at the heartstrings had a resonance (given the back stories involved) something that hasn't always felt earnt in some of Moffat's earlier attempts at it.
However, as was entirely to be expected: How he or anyone could judge Whittaker on her brief segment is beyond me. (Although I did like the directorial touch of having her first seen in reflection.). "Time will tell. It aways does."
Throughout Moffat's Who resolutely expanded on Davies by asking us not to take the programme too seriously. This for me will be one of the most interesting things to watch for in the forthcoming Chibnall version. Will he retain this tongue in cheek finger pointing at the show's own past?
Oh, and am I the only one left with the impression that 13's first action was to press the wrong button and crash an ailing TARDIS...
...
Women drivers eh!
An easy piece of Christmas escapism; a slight but fan-pleasing story (at least to fans that are not solidly anti-Moffat revisionism). More character driven than most epsiodes and a nice change of pace - particularly not having an overt villian. The emotionality of NuWho was at its best here I thought; the tugging at the heartstrings had a resonance (given the back stories involved) something that hasn't always felt earnt in some of Moffat's earlier attempts at it.
However, as was entirely to be expected: How he or anyone could judge Whittaker on her brief segment is beyond me. (Although I did like the directorial touch of having her first seen in reflection.). "Time will tell. It aways does."
Throughout Moffat's Who resolutely expanded on Davies by asking us not to take the programme too seriously. This for me will be one of the most interesting things to watch for in the forthcoming Chibnall version. Will he retain this tongue in cheek finger pointing at the show's own past?
Oh, and am I the only one left with the impression that 13's first action was to press the wrong button and crash an ailing TARDIS...
...
Women drivers eh!
25-12-2017, 21:20
In my opinion, it's impossible to judge Jodie Whittaker's Doctor on one regeneration scene. There was a touching and fun feel to that scene though, and it's always good to end the new Doctor's introduction on a perilous cliffhanger. I completely agree about the direction of the final scene being spot on. The camerawork revealing her first appearance in reflection form worked a treat.
I thought the episode as a whole was a definite change of pace and mood from the stories we'd seen towards the latter part of Moffat's tenth series. The supporting cast was spot on - Mark Gattis' and Pearl Mackie's performances were very good as was David Bradley's excellent portrayal of the First Doctor. We had really sad, panic-stricken and pessimistic scenarios in The Doctor Falls. So it was good to see a light-hearted, reminiscing story which is perfect for Christmas Day. I think the last thing anybody would have wanted today was to go back to a danger-filled, hope-ending scenario after this afternoon's presumed sherries and mince pies.
Overall a pleasing and celebratory story of all things Who, and all things Christmas. It leaves us nicely intrigued by the upcoming new era, which is exactly the feeling that the writers would have wanted to leave us with from this special.
I thought the episode as a whole was a definite change of pace and mood from the stories we'd seen towards the latter part of Moffat's tenth series. The supporting cast was spot on - Mark Gattis' and Pearl Mackie's performances were very good as was David Bradley's excellent portrayal of the First Doctor. We had really sad, panic-stricken and pessimistic scenarios in The Doctor Falls. So it was good to see a light-hearted, reminiscing story which is perfect for Christmas Day. I think the last thing anybody would have wanted today was to go back to a danger-filled, hope-ending scenario after this afternoon's presumed sherries and mince pies.
Overall a pleasing and celebratory story of all things Who, and all things Christmas. It leaves us nicely intrigued by the upcoming new era, which is exactly the feeling that the writers would have wanted to leave us with from this special.
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