Doctor Who Discussion

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Schizm

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The new season of Doctor Who launched worldwide this weekend! I saw not a single ad for it anywhere outside of TVLine mentioning it.

What did y'all think of the premiere? Spoilers follow!

I thought Varada Sethu was great (she's really having an interesting two months with Andor hitting as well!), and Ncuti was mostly good.

I thought the Star Certificate giving her her own planet and the ramifications of that were interesting, and I thought RTD was doing a "you can't own a person" allegory and "but you do so what do you do now?" and then it randomly turned out to be just a bad ex-boyfriend? Cosmic storytelling faceplants into the asshole next door. How on the nose AND boring.

Enjoyed the timey-wimey of the plot (and "Am I six?" - HA) but SO TIRED of Ncuti crying - and I want the words "I'm sorry" banned from this show. Just - take a season off, please. Then his exuberance at killing the villain - that didn't feel very Who.

Show looked great. I enjoyed the time distortion effects, Belinda in general, the robots were very cool and the planet's design was lovely and I liked the colors. Loved The Nurse and The Doctor stuff, and her calling him out about consent, and the x-ray blankets were very cool. So I liked more than I disliked.

Anyone else watch?

Sidenote: Have we actually learned anything about The Doctor as a character since 15 popped out? This Doctor runs and cries, dances and cries, stands still and cries, dances - etc. He's driven to solve mysteries and help people, and he's doing it with a lighter emotional load, but I can't remember the last time he grew as a character? I never felt compelled to rewatch any episode last season except Ruby Road so I may be forgetting.
 
I don't have a whole lot to say aside from that I didn't really enjoy the episode. I liked last season but I think it was mostly the teasing that Susan may finally be returning to the show and that ended up not panning out, but could still happen this season.

Lots of rumors swirling that the show will be taking a long hiatus after this season which I think might be warranted.

I'm currently watching classic Who and finished the first two doctors (including missing reconstructed episodes) and I'm in the middle of Pertwee right now, so even if the modern show pauses I still have Who in my life.
 
Ncuti is going to be in a play for a few months starting in the fall, it's too soon to shoot before that, so we're looking at a late '25/early '26 production start for the next season - which means another season is a year and a half away at least.

Unless they pre-shot a Xmas episode or do a one-off, it's gonna be a long break.

Re: Ms. Flood - she sounds *so much* like Catherine Tate that I really hope she's a very old Donna doing something fun.
 
Still haven't gotten to watch yet, because my internet has been funky. Gonna try again tonight.
 
I really enjoyed Saturday's episode. I've always been a bigger fan of episodes set in the past moreso than the present and the future.
 
I'm a bit behind on my Who, but that's mostly since I was planning on giving the Disney Doctor a pass anyways.

I wanted so much to like the return of David Tennant. He and Donna were some of my favorite episodes, but it didn't take me four episodes to realize they were not for me. I think I (somehow) made it through Space Babies before giving up on it entirely.

Then my wife and kids started watching Season 2 as a family, so I've been sitting in whenever they can get together and, I still kind of don't like it. But of course, I have reviews:

Robot Revolution
I really like Ms. Belinda Chandra as a companion. I don't think I've ever seen a companion that doesn't want to be there. It's a fun take and makes for unique interactions. I also really liked the set-up, where the old fad of buying someone a star actually comes with ramifications. I thought the robots were delightfully toy-like, and the every 9th (or however many) word puzzle was a fun concept, if a bit inconsistent and dumbed down more than it needed to be. Then the second half started and it went off a cliff. Belinda just surrenders to the robots, and we're supposed to be shocked at the reveal that it's not AI, it's Al!!! Incels are our shoehorned in social justice issue this week and everybody skips away from the guy being turned to spooge and wiped up by a Roomba. I honestly hate it more now having typed it all out.

Lux
Lux didn't work for me at all. My own fault for skipping Season 1, but if you don't know who the pantheon of gods are, it doesn't matter if Mr. Ringading is a member. They almost got me with the meta-commentary people who were watching the show as a show. I had just enough time to think that maybe they were actually higher-planar beings who DO watch the Doctor's adventures before they about faced on the idea of who was real and who was fake so fast that I wonder why they even did it.

My biggest frustration, though, was that the solution to Mr. R's puzzle of "what do I never do" was 'go outside'! Like, they just picked it from a list of things he'd never done. Might as well say "eat bacon" or "sit facing backward on the train" for as much as it wasn't foreshadowed. Which is really frustrating, because he was explicitly and specifically telling people to not make him laugh. I thought we were heading for a Roger Rabbit-style ending where they get him to laugh himself to death. But instead they keep him from escaping by blowing up the building he was trapped in. I hate it.

I am, however, really digging cosplay Doctor. I think I'm looking forward to them getting new outfits each episode. I also kind of liked how they escaped the film trap by jamming the cells. That was fun.

The Well
This is the most recent episode I've seen (that's how far behind we are) and it was honestly pretty great. I actually didn't care that it was a sequel to an old David Tennant episode and kind of wonder how it benefitted from it. Still, a monster that hides in the concept of "behind you" is a very Who idea and was pretty effective. I think the mass-kill scene went on a little too long, with just successive bodies being thrown around, but the horror was there and would've been enhanced by something as simple as making each person die in a different way than just everyone being tossed in the air like they'd answered wrong at the Bridge of Death so it didn't feel so repetitious.

I noticed, but didn't understand the meaning of, the indicator showing there were six people on the elevator, but that's on me. I don't think the ending suffers too much from not catching that the first. There is a debate in our family, though, if there were two aliens or just one. I argue that there was just one and that the military commander sacrificed herself down the well for no reason. If they'd played up the paranoia of "who is it behind now?" it could've helped sell the tragedy and made it an actual successor to the Midnight episode it was supposedly a sequel to. Imagine a Mexican standoff type scene where everybody's facing each other and afraid the *other* person is going to turn their back.

All told, this was an honestly good Dr. Who episode. If I had any real complaint, it's that the Doctor kept using sign language even when he had the text translator working, but I guess that's the kind of cringey thing the Doctor might actually do.

And that's where I stand on the Disney Doctor series. I've seen eight episodes and I liked 1 1/2 of them (the first half of Wild Blue Yonder caused me actual anxiety). I can't say I've really enjoyed Doctor Who since Capaldi regenerated. I wish that didn't sound like I was sexist and racist, but I only enjoyed a couple Whittaker episodes and half as many Gatwa episodes.
 
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I bailed out of Doctor Who after about 3 Capaldi episodes. I just wasn't vibing with it. I haven't watched any Whittaker episodes. I got back in with Tennants return and then stuck around for Gatwa. I do like him more than I liked Capaldi for those episodes but I almost feel like it's more of a thing where I want to watch Doctor Who again so I'm convincing myself I like it more than I really do, if that makes any sense at all. After having delved heavily into Classic Who over the past couple of years, especially the 1st and 2nd Doctors, the thing that is really keeping me invested in NuWho right now is the tease of Susan finally returning after all these years. If that weren't a factor at all, I don't know that I would be watching.
 
These last two seasons have been a little all over the place - which is not uncommon for the show - but I'm not sure that the overall tone of a bit more magic/fantasy element is to my liking. Not quite sure where they are going, the finale next week needs to pull quite a bit together and I worry as that hasn't been Davies strong suit.

I am wondering if this is going down the road of explaining the Timeless Child, the origin of the Timelords, etc. I can see that Poppy goes through the purple vortex stuff to become the Timeless Child (who came through some vortex), meaning the Doctor themselves is a paradox. Especially if Poppy turns out to be the daughter of the Fugitive Doctor, which would be interesting, and is the mother of Susan... I also wonder if Rogue is in fact Omega...

I think Gatwa and Whittaker haven't been helped by the writing - I don't think they have written either as alien enough, or clearly being a step ahead of everyone else - just smarter and more experienced. The Doctor needs to be more than just smart with a tremendous knowledge of the universe, he needs to be "clever" and a few steps ahead and observant and so on but also a little detached and not always reacting as you would expect. Moffat to me got that the best, and he wrote Smith and to a lesser extent Capaldi in way where the actors were able to portray that they were always thinking and thinking differently, while also being just a touch out of step with a normal human reaction/personality. It took me a bit to accept Capaldi and I struggled with his first season but I think they figured him out a bit better following that.
 
I have heard that about Capaldi, that he found his groove later on. It's been my intention to go back and watch his and Whittaker's seasons but I haven't found the time yet.
 
The best thing I can say about Capaldi's Doctor is that he made me like Clara.

I hated Clara when she was the perfect, spunky, clever girl, but setting her up as the Doctor's conscience while he toes the line of being a good man was very compelling.

The reason Tennant is my favorite is because he had a really masterful way of showing joyful enthusiasm while letting you know it was hiding great remorse.

Fast forward to Gatwa, and what you see is what you get. There's no inner debate or depth of character. He just reacts to things and moves on. In Robot Revolution, there was the bit where he was introduced as the historian, and I had the briefest moment of "what's he up to?" I miss that feeling.
 
It would take a lot to make me like Clara. That makes me want to watch Capaldi even more now because I don't believe it is possible for me.
 
I thought the resolution to Clara's arc was quite good, and worked off the fact she thought she was as clever as the Doctor and overstepped forcing the Doctor to go to great lengths to help her.

I always felt Tennant was a little over top with his emoting and shouting and manic energy at times - he was very good and alien and was great but I found it a little much in some spots. But Davies equally emotional and sometimes over the top writing worked with Tennant so they complimented each other.

To me the Matt Smith years were the peak for the modern era the way the first 4 or 5 years of Tom Baker were the peak of the classic era. Smith really pulled off the old, brilliant soul in the young body to me, and being nerdy/geeky yet not self-conscious about it. But I also think most of the best episodes in this era have been Moffat episodes, so the Moffat writing with Smith's performance was a great combo for me, and I liked both Amy/Rory and Clara as companions.
 
100%, @fac. I have a terrible time keeping writers and show runners straight, but Matt Smith's stories were epic and Smith was great in them. I still have a personal preference for Tennant and wonder what it would've been like if he'd stayed on for another year like he'd considered.
 
The greatest time travel wish for Who fans is to see Tennant/Smith/Capaldi/Whittaker/Gatwa written by other writers. At least it's consistent! :)

I thought Jenna was fantastic, and her end is interesting/awful. She's the reason I kept watching Capaldi because they took WAAYYYY too long to find his groove. "Pudding brains" and his Posh Spice finger point are all I remember from S8.

I caught up over the last couple days on this season and am disappointed that it did not all wrap up on May 24, 2025! Like... why didn't this season start airing a week earlier? It had barely any press as it was.

I'm enjoying Belinda but once again the relationship between her and The Doctor is so RUSHED. I loved how she took him to task in the premiere and then disappointed when she's singing his praises two episodes later. It's been a few HOURS and he has still kidnapped her. I hope her action figure comes in the jumpsuit she's wearing for the song contest episode.

I also dislike how the TARDIS is now Cher's closet from Clueless. Having a clothes collection - cool, makes total sense. I kinda miss The Doctor looking out of place in alien scenarios. But the ever-changing wigs just defy explanation. And I'm not even talking about THAT episode!

But now I will -
I still don't understand what was happening in the barbershop. Stories told while getting a cut power the engine of a tiny spider that is making it's way to kill the story gods? Huh? I missed the Whittaker years so I know the name of the Fugitive Doctor but have no idea what her story is. BTW - I think not having all the seasons on Disney+ is part of why people aren't watching the new episodes on D+. But that's another discussion!

The gods plotline for these two seasons is possibly the most uninteresting thing RTD has ever introduced. It came in poorly - "I invoked a superstition at the edge of the universe" - huh? - and other than Jinxx's virtuoso performance, has been underwhelming at every step of the way.

I thought the Eurovision episode was fantastic, though. The visual of all the bodies getting sucked into space - horrific, effective, beautiful - and all we could do was watch. And then the producer says "you can still save them" and I knew it all meant absolutely nothing - another giant fake-out.

I HATED THAT. And these episodes seem to all pull some crap like that ALL THE TIME.

Even with that terrible narrative choice - sometimes, people DO die - I liked the episode. Loved Gary and Mike and they deserve to have some fun with The Doctor. Loved the way they got Rylan and Graham Norton in there, enjoyed the story of the bad guys and singer and very glad it wasn't just another bad white man like it felt like it was going for a bit.

The Doctor riding a confetti cannon through space - it was camp but they didn't need to literally SAY THAT. And that's kinda this season in a nutshell - it's putting an exclamation point on everything when a period would suffice.

The Midnight revisit felt like it got derailed the second we saw Tennant. And of course The Doctor cries. RTD defended Ncuti's constant tears by calling it "a princely performance" that one would never critique and I'm like - that's your entire job as showrunner - not necessarily critique, but guide and mold. Ncuti has scenes that are excellent but on the whole I am not liking his take - it doesn't feel like a real character nor does it feel like THE character.

Millie's standalone episode? She is so good. She looks exactly like an older actress who I still can't place but I really enjoy Ruby and I HATE what they did with Conrad. Another evil white guy. We have eight episodes and two and a half of those eps evil white guys are the villain. Conrad had such a cool backstory and I'm bummed he went on that side of the coin (which I get is part of the point).

Enjoyed seeing UNIT operate without the Doctor - but where the hell was Donna?! Anything for more Catherine Tate (and also if the Earth exploded - does that mean Tennant and Donna are also gone?).

Then The Ranni. I only know the name from Who fandom, no actual clue who or what she is other than "Time Lady"and apparently the Last One - and this last episode made me care even less? I liked Mrs. Flood - she was fun - and then she bi-generates into Archie, who is an actress I know but have never watched and now I'm not sure why she's famous? Because everything she said was so terribly delivered? It's a performance off from minute one. But then we still have Flood being more interesting in two lines than Archie is in her endless monologues.

And even saying "this exposition has a point" - did it? She is literally just expositing for minutes and it's so bland. And she wanted The Doctor to doubt - his doubt would crack the world. But then we didn't even get to that point, so the build-up had no payoff.

Beautiful set, though. The robots? with the ink fingers - cool. Then Archie touches the ink and shows that it's just rubber - like, why did she touch that? Edit that out!

I hope it ends well but I can't keep track of how many narrative threads there are any more, or how many gods in this pantheon need to be dealt with, and why The Ranni wants to birth something rather than simply be in control by herself?

I want this show to be good and Interstellar Song Contest was sooo close, and I like Belinda and Ruby (and the UNIT staff), but it just feels so muddled? Not sure what the word is - but the low ratings feel appropriate for the show we're getting.
 
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