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Post by Simon Smith on Oct 18, 2015 5:45:10 GMT
The Girl Who Died:
Had a few good bits, but pretty disappointing overall. And I saw The Holy Grail decades ago, I don't need to see it redone worse now.
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Post by cjones on Oct 18, 2015 14:21:59 GMT
Agreed. The 'Odin in the clouds' bit was just embarrassing.
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Post by Tony Ingram on Oct 18, 2015 17:43:22 GMT
"Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow" absolutely made my day.
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Post by Simon Smith on Oct 25, 2015 6:23:06 GMT
The Woman Who Lived: This was probably the second best episode this series so far. A definite step up. However, being better than The Magician's Apprentice doesn't mean that you're excellent by any stretch. Still, it's a step in the right direction.
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Post by Tony Ingram on Oct 25, 2015 8:43:39 GMT
Talk about damning with faint praise...
Personally, I was just happy we finally found out what happened to Lion-O after Thundercats ended. A shame he's clearly been twisted by his decades of obscurity after once being the idol of millions.
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Post by Paul McDermott on Oct 28, 2015 1:58:50 GMT
I'm liking the variation in locations and times, a definite improvement on some years previous. This is a time and space show that actually has us go to other times and places, and not infrequently, the dangers are directly or indirectly related to time itself. The Girl Who Died, as much as I liked elements of it, I don't think was as good as the first four out the gate. I could forgive the Doctor's lash-up based on bits and pieces from his broken sonic shades, Clara's spacesuit and (for all I know) a dollop of regeneration juice. But the eels? Unless there's an undiscovered species, that's a jump too far. I didn't mind the face in the clouds, the Mire wasn't trying hard because the rubes are there to be used and forgotten. And it seemed almost like an Adams gag that the Doctor tries to pretend to be a god right when somebody above him steals his thunder! The melancholy observations of a baby on the eve of war were I thought rather nice, so too the musings on the power of myth. But the magic tablet that makes you live forever? All a bit too Axonite for me. If it works as claimed, why aren't the Mire the rulers of the Universe? Needed a second pass, either to tweak and tone down the potency or to give a sense there's a reason for this to be explained later. I mean, has the Doctor already forgotten his trip to Rassilon's Tower? Moffat's clearly having fun with the Nightmare Child reference, in having Ashildr's highwayman persona named the Knightmare. And if she can forget that she used to be a kind and brave kid once, she can forget again. Or change her mind about how to think about those events of centuries past. After all, we don't know what was in those torn out diary pages. Perhaps her body will mutate over the aeons, as Captain Jack's did, if the notion that he eventually becomes the Face of Boe is taken seriously. In which case, maybe her gobbling up Davros's ship during the Time War is still on the cards? Perhaps her gob will be bigger on the inside, and she'll be a sort of dragon like the one in the scary story she broadcast to the Mire? Speaking of diaries, if Capaldi's Doctor can just consult it to find out things, why did he need to pick a face of a man he'd seen in Pompeii in his body before last to remind him to keep doing what he usually does? I thought that was a bit daft, really. Indeed, what should we make of the 6th Doctor, off the back of the 5th incarnation being stasered by his lookalike? Did he want to be quick on the draw, or have a preposterous hat? Or a la Romana's swiping Princess Astra's look, he just liked the look of Maxil?! I'm hoping this is rather like the feint in Boom Town, where Eccleston's model recalls all the instances of "Bad Wolf", then goes, ha - it was all a coincidence. Next week looks like a cracker. Last year's UNIT story was a definite uptick in quality time for them onscreen, and this two parter seems to follow on in tone. Near as I can tell, there's multiple locations across the globe involved, including Mexico. (Doubt there'll be any references to a local solar energy startup from a charming but sinister brujo from the Yucatan, but we live in hope!) Off the Bond-like sky fall out of an exploding aircraft, I think Camfield would be pretty happy with UNIT today. And at least from the few slivers of footage, the Zygons return to their squelchy slimy roots of organic crystallography, unlike the shiny metallic nonsense in The Day Of The Doctor. Throw in a bit of radiophonic goodness, to recapture the same heritage soundscape that's kept alive with the Daleks, and I think it'll be like the old days again. Current events re immigration and refugees make a two parter about Zygons amongst us all the more potent and interesting. I shan't be at all surprised if Capaldi's Doctor explodes at the notion of "England for the English", just as Pertwee did all those years ago. There's also good opportunities for mature and confronting drama, as we know the Zygons aren't all bad eggs. Like the Silurians, I have a bad feeling about how matters will get resolved. Maybe that choice will divide the Doctor and Clara? We've had six eps in a row that have been involved with death, tinkering with Time, the Doctor's choices. Maybe the Doctor will unmake himself at year's end, encourage the kid in the barn not to leave Gallifrey, in the hope of making things better than they were. At the start of Series 9, he tinkered with the history of one of his greatest enemies. Perhaps all those digs at him running off will get him to do the same for himself? I've been pretty confident he'll be killed off this year, but maybe this will allow a different kind of blank slate for the years ahead, in the event that a new team and a new lead are mooted in the near term. There's also the matter of the Doctor's confession dial, and what he knows about coming events, and his regrets. Perhaps it has something to do with the 12th Doctor's appearance in the 50th special, which is supposedly getting explained this year.
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Post by DrWhat? on Oct 28, 2015 16:08:26 GMT
I'm really enjoying the new series for the first time in years with Capaldi in the driving seat... my only problem is his 'casual dress'. Maybe its just me but he seemed so much more like the Doctor while dressed to the nines in the Mummy episode...
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Post by Richard Marple on Oct 28, 2015 18:12:06 GMT
I did read that Peter Capaldi chose a simple outfit so fans could recreate the look easily.
Though I've seen cosplayers manage to put together most of the other Doctor's outfits alright.
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Post by Paul McDermott on Oct 30, 2015 14:30:18 GMT
With Capaldi, the Doctor's clothes have become just that, clothes. No longer a uniform. Or a playsuit he forgets to change. I think that is much more appealing, and allows a wider spectrum of his persona to be reflected in what he wears. Sometimes, it's velvet, and sometimes it's a sort of tracksuit top with a hood. Sometimes he dresses to the nines, and sometimes, he lounges about. Mood and circumstances should be reflected, and I think it's nice for the costuming people to get more room to show off what they do. This year, they've really done great! And I agree, having some ensembles of the 12th Doctor be affordable - maybe even similar to things kids (and some of us more vintage and veteran fans!) might already have in the wardrobe is nice. As best I can recollect, Pertwee was the first to wear a t-shirt, so having the Doctor wear the odd bit of everyday clothing is perfectly in keeping. Even Tom's Doctor got a bit Scottish in his clobber for Terror Of The Zygons - like the Brigadier! Really looking forward to the Zygons next ep. If I'm right that the more serious, darker tone we've seen since Series 8 is evidenced in the events therein, I'll not be surprised. Unlike the Series 5 revisitation and correction of the tragic injustice that befell the Silurians, I don't see such a rosy ending for the Zygons. And those who stand against the Doctor will surely remind him that back in Season 13, he had little qualms about blasting the Zygon vessel and crew to bits. Circumstances will surely be different, but I trust he'll forgive his friends if they make the wrong choice. After all, he did exactly that without fuss when Clara thought she'd doomed them both in Dark Water. But there, nobody was in peril or harmed. This time around? I have my doubts. And given he's not above taking down a Prime Minister - as the newly regenerated 10th Doctor did with Harriet Jones when she destroyed the defeated and fleeing Sycorax - I wonder what the new model, who "can really complain about things now" might do if something terrible results from the upcoming crisis with the Zygons on Earth. It may see his enemies gain support for the view that the Doctor's a wild card who's as much a potential threat to the sovereignty of the planet as those who'd invade en masse, because he's so powerful and unwilling to defer to human choice if he disagrees with them. (Of course, that's not always really how it is - and we saw that recently in Kill The Moon, much to the disquiet of the humans making the choice.) [That brings me around to Ashildr, lurking around through Earth history. She could yet be a problem for the Doctor. Who knows how long she's been watching Clara? Or if she's going to remain "friendly" for the duration? Torchwood was supposed to keep the Doctor in check, but his old pal Captain Jack wound up running it after the mess at Canary Wharf. Maybe Ashildr will influence - or take an active hand in - opposing what she sees as his dangerous influence. One hopes that there's no residual Mire flavouring in the tablet she took or over the centuries she might become more dangerously focussed on war than when Ashildr was a young woman who died telling a story that saved her village. Perhaps she'll be connected with the Minister of War in some way? And what might be the consequence if a malign force decides to make the Doctor an enemy alien on Earth, sufficient for him to fight his adopted home? ] The Zygons were refugees, as far as I remember their original outing. And it's very easy to see the security services - even those less decent than UNIT - finding shape shifting staff very handy to have about the place. And that's quite apart from the world of freelance mischief, though of course there's many very obvious respectable jobs where a Zygon on the payroll would be invaluable. Vegas might take the job lot, if Hollywood doesn't outbid them! Of course, the devil is in the detail. One hopes their staple diet of Skarasen milk or the equivalent isn't rationed out, in lieu of decent pay and conditions... Brings to mind Alien Nation, somewhat! Another thought I've had concerns the matter of hybrids, of which we've seen rather a bit this series. I recall the Dalek 2-parter from Series 3 and can't help but notice that the human-Dalek seemed perfectly affable. He said sensible things, was willing to negotiate terms for an end to hostilities with the Doctor and a new path for his kind. Unfortunately, he was a tad naive and forgot rather too easily just how afraid of change and otherness his unaltered kin were. Now, if we suppose there's a whole bunch of Time Lord-Dalek hybrids on the newly reconstituted Skaro, we might well ask: is this going to be so terrible? Maybe they'll all be just as well behaved, sensible and willing to build a better future. Of course, there's been the odd rotter on Gallifrey but for the most part they seem a decent lot. Daleks are of course made to be rather different. After the Doctor impressed upon their creator the necessity of mercy, I wonder if that opens up some wiggle room for further modifications that are less malevolent. On the other hand Davros was perfectly willing to trick the Doctor and kill him to harvest his regenerative powers. So mercy is clearly variably weighted!
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Post by Paul McDermott on Nov 1, 2015 7:49:08 GMT
So, how did we like The Zygon Invasion? I think it made good on the pretty sketchy involvement of the Zygons in the 50th! Loads of outdoor and location scenes, varied landscapes and interiors, different countries as befits a planetary invasion and an organisation with UNIT's remit, many strong and different roles for women (Kate Stewart, the replacement Scientific Advisor, the MIA Osgood, the blood and thunder Colonel Walsh, the apparently freaked cop from New Mexico, Clara), lots of confronting situations and topical involvement with current real-world events, nods to the past (was that Hartnell portrait from Celestial Toymaker, and how about Harry Sullivan working on nerve gas?!) and tweaks to our expectations to keep us guessing! Yep, it's Osgood the human - oh wait, maybe it's not. Very clever! And an interesting cliffhanger that's oddly out of shot! Capaldi's Doctor is real murder on aircraft, isn't he? Any takers on how he's getting out of this week's brush with certain doom? I'm guessing that Osgood will change shape in a way that allows them to survive, I don't think they'll go to the well twice for the TARDIS again. Doctor Funkenstein?! Sounds like the Doctor is having a Matt Smith flashback! Looking forward to next week's dose. Take the Zygons! Open the box! All this and more on Truth Or Consequences!
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Post by Tony Ingram on Nov 1, 2015 9:01:17 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed it, but I guarantee the Kate who spoke to the Zygon commander over the phone at the end was actually the real Kate, not a Zygon.
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Post by Simon Smith on Nov 1, 2015 9:21:25 GMT
Didn't think much of this. There was nothing here that hasn't been done to death years ago. Clara was a Zygon? No, really?! And the policewoman? Ooh! How totally unexpected!.....
This episode wasn't bad in the way that the Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar was bad, but it was just dull and predictable. And I don't care for Capaldi's new quirks as the Doctor either.
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Post by Paul McDermott on Nov 1, 2015 13:28:53 GMT
I wonder how they'll resolve the Clara locked up in the Zygon icebox situation. If I'm right that the Zygons will get largely offed next week, it might be interesting to keep Zygon Clara alive. Perhaps the amnesia trick or some such could be used to keep the Doctor muddled as to her identity. That could make for an interesting few eps, where he's unaware he's being played by a villain, "the enemy inside the friend" as it were. Once she's at home aboard the TARDIS, perhaps a wily Zygon could get up to some real trouble. That gets us back to the volcanic betrayal scene in Dark Water. Might be that lifts will become scary for kids in ways the Tube probably was during the Web Of Fear days. Taking the stairs lest the Zygons get you would keep you fit, if nothing else! If there's duplicates of humans walking about as Zygons, following the UNIT peace deal, I'm a bit puzzled as to how that works. Do they time share their jobs or get special driving licenses and passports? Can they marry humans? Who decides what humans get duplicated? If the human dies, wouldn't this scheme come awry when the Zygon one is still going to the shops and such? If they weren't human copies, I'd follow this a little better - and with their facility in organic crystallography, I'd imagine the capacity to create random variations of human bodies based on our genetic code ought to be a doddle for them. Perhaps the Zygon lifespan is much shorter than a human one? What of their ways, their culture and so forth? Should they just give it all up because they're living on Earth, pretending to be another species? There might even be a Zygon Danny Pink about the traps, but I dunno if human Clara would be able to deal with the consequences of that truth. If so, might yet explain Orson Pink!
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Post by Paul McDermott on Nov 2, 2015 6:08:04 GMT
Here's the trailer for next week's, The Zygon Inversion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3LMOcIDTSULooks like the tension and pace will remain, and though some might find that repetitive, I think it'll deliver the goods!
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Post by Paul McDermott on Nov 7, 2015 4:11:28 GMT
A thought I've just had re Clara leaving: What if the Zygon pretending to be her actually gets away with fooling the Doctor as to her authenticity just enough to get up to bad stuff? We assume Clara's survived - or worse, we know she hasn't but the Doctor is oblivious - and this sets up a more stark and depressing situation than the "dangerous companion" like we saw in Turlough but which could be done so much better now. If Zygon Clara has the real Clara's memories, that's plenty dangerous. From there, she may well be of a mind to conspire with and/or manipulate Ashildr, who's clearly capable of being gulled by shifty alien types up to no good. It may even be possible that Zygon Clara could fool others into thinking she's the Doctor just enough to do something very awful. This could track with the whole undiscovered future involving the Minister Of War, whoever that is. One hopes Zygon Clara wouldn't be able to fool the TARDIS, else this could spiral out of control and mix up things in very interesting ways. That could track with my speculation we might be seeing more than one Capaldi about the place, or having already done so but not realised it or how or why. It tracks back to the bootstrap paradox stuff in Before The Flood, may even link to the Doctor's notion of why he looks like he does, and may even be that the bloke we saw in Day Of The Doctor isn't him at all. Conversely, Osgood might become a bit clingy or make a choice to soften the blow of Clara being dead by pretending to be her to spare her idol's feelings. The blowout of that could be plenty ugly, and she in turn could also easily be dangerous if turned. In any case, looking forward to The Zygon Inversion! The blue Osgood Box that looks like the Gallifreyan super weapon we saw John Hurt lugging about in the 50th might be a sort of pocket Earth, using technology like we see in the TARDIS or the Matrix. If there's no way out, guilting those responsible for their pressing the button to wipe out the other side might be assuaged in the Doctor's mind somewhat by having their apparent victims not be dead, but safe and shunted there with plenty of room to live and expand, in peace. Each group - randomly chosen from all the duplicate sets of humans and Zygons would be separate, unaware that their other side wasn't wiped out. The amnesia ray thing could serve as a partial means of delivering that result. Of course, it's a temporary solution, as most are - but certain death isn't better. But it might remind him that sometimes, he doesn't get what he wants, and that real people suffer despite his efforts and his hopeful view of his adopted home planet and dominant species.
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