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Post by Dominick on Dec 26, 2013 12:43:36 GMT -5
What did everyone think of Time of the Doctor? Personally I didn't care for it since it just seemed like a hodgepodge of Who creatures, but the 30 seconds we got of Peter Capaldi were good.
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Post by PoopaPapaPalpatine on Dec 27, 2013 1:03:48 GMT -5
Utter dildos. Terribly paced, terrible story, terrible dialogue; pretty much standard New Who. So much for the "rules" of Dr. Who and the 13 regenerations, that went out the window. Apparently, all you need is a hole in the wall and call it "Time Lords". Way to undermine the whole point of the New Who series and the consequences of the Time War which, after the fucking 50th anniversary, meant bupkis.
Most of all, I couldn't stand the end monologue Smith had. The writing of his series comes off as so smug, constantly reminding you that he is the Doctor, as if it needs validating from the producers of the show to the audience. I mean, it's bad enough that they had to cumbersomely interject him into a good show (Adventures in Space and Time), but to base his whole goodbye speech on how he feels leaving the show with a look and wink into the camera is just as bad as having the show chant "Doctor Who" throughout it. It's needlessly self-referential and feels like the show is talking down to the audience; it makes slapping the Doctor in question marks look subtle.
I hope the Capaldi series is good, I really do. I hope he's a good Doctor, but that's not up to him: he has no real influence over the show beyond what his Doctor wears for an outfit (and even then, there are fingers in that pie). It's all down on who's writing the show and if the stories support his character and, honestly, the past three Doctors haven't given me much hope.
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Artie Fufkin
New Spillio
When there's no more room in hell doesn't mean I'll stop killing
Posts: 20
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Post by Artie Fufkin on Dec 29, 2013 22:48:14 GMT -5
This isn't my words but I think it gets the point across better than I ever could "I watched Doctor Who as a kid. It genuinely ignited my life-long passion for film, horror, scifi and time-traveling eccentrics.
Tom Baker was my Doctor Who and I loved his character, the stories and the weekly cliffhangers. I saw past the cardboard sets and goofy make-up and when the fourth Doctor resurfaced last month I had a lump in my throat the size of a watermelon
The new Doctor Who has better sets, much better effects and make-up but the stories, which are contained crammed and constricted into one-hour bites, have become almost impossible to watch. Run, shout, point, explain, explain, explain. The Doctor knows all, and can do all and there's not a scrap of restraint in any of it.
Moments are brilliant, new monsters are great, ideas are fresh and wonderful but it's all done so quickly, without reason and without the one ingredient I miss the most - storytelling.
Doctor Who is like a series of very clever, funny jokes, told by someone shouting at the top of their lungs into loud-hailer. It's easy to list the inventive qualities of last night's show but the delivery was nonsense.
Convenience is the enemy of story. In the eighties, K-9 became the writer's go-to escape for any situation. Now the doctor simply pulls out his sonic screwdriver that can act as anything the moment requires, or regenerate and helpfully destroy the Dalek fleet at the same time.
You can break the rules in great stories but Doctor Who seemingly has none to break. He's like a little kid who shouts "but, I actually have a jetpack in my pocket and can fly to safety!" while playing with his toy tiger.
Matt Smith was a wonderful entertainer but not a great Doctor for me. I think the character of a Time-Traveling eccentric demands a little more gravitas and a lot less precociousness. He needs more Spock and less Kirk; more Doctor Who and less Spaceman Spiff.
The very fact that he seemed to be getting younger over time was interesting to me and I thought that this might suggest a way to reboot the character (rather than just asking for more lives, please). The "question" from the Time Lords was great but thrown away completely. This is the trademark of new Doctor Who much of the time - a question is raised and the solution presented almost immediately. What is the mysterious message that brings all the galaxy's (heavily merchandised) monsters to a town that (for no reason) is called Christmas? Why does it disturb them, even though they can't translate it?
It really IS a great answer - I just wish that they had made much more of it. It will no doubt recur throughout the new Doctor's tenure but it should be the seed for a whole new story arc that really could be a fantastic hook for the new series.
I hope Doctor Who takes a few steps away from the cartoon precipice. It's all too shouty as it is and I'm concerned that the new Doctor might actually increase the volume. He's a fantastic choice for the role. I only hope that they return to playing him as the eccentric genius type of hero rather than the eccentric genius, athletic, fearless, omniscient super-hero that RTD and SM have developed. Flaws and failures make for better heroes when they fight to overcome obstacles rather than fly over them with a jetpack they happened to have in their pocket.
Let's stop cramming all the ingredients into the broth (perhaps spoiled by too many BBC executive chefs) and return to the wonder, mystery and horror of Doctor Who's universe. Restraint and timing will keep the audience on the hook. Giving them everything they want is like eating too much chocolate. Eventually they'll be sick.
Finally, let's agree that Doctor Who is for kids but kids grow up and shouldn't be left out because their attention span increases. I feel irritated (and moved to write nonsense like this) when I try to enjoy my son's favorite show but watch as he starts to see the cracks.
There's a perfect balance that will draw in adults and this is a crucial ingredient to the success of Doctor Who in the past. The show began to wane when imagination was restricted and they turned the Doctor into a clown (see Colin Baker's ridiculous costume).
Star Wars is also for kids but I somehow believe that still includes me. It only began to lose me when it became more about Toy than Story. Doctor Who is too good an idea for its audience to grow out of. I hope it grows and evolves in time for the new series."
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Post by PoopaPapaPalpatine on Jan 4, 2014 13:14:25 GMT -5
Makes me want to do my own Dr. Who stories. Couldn't be any worse than the mess that's been pumped out so far.
As a matter of fact, I was working with someone on Spill before the closure, on trying to get a fan-community canon going: with an original Doctor and stories made by the people. Didn't get very far from a few drawings and conversations but something I'd still like to do in future. Sits right next to my DnD Game Night dream.
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Post by George Knight on Jan 6, 2014 11:54:10 GMT -5
Makes me want to do my own Dr. Who stories. Couldn't be any worse than the mess that's been pumped out so far. As a matter of fact, I was working with someone on Spill before the closure, on trying to get a fan-community canon going: with an original Doctor and stories made by the people. Didn't get very far from a few drawings and conversations but something I'd still like to do in future. Sits right next to my DnD Game Night dream. It's probably be better than the stuff Moffat has been doing lately. Also, playing DnD online doesn't have to be a dream. It's quite easy if you have the correct tools. www.fantasygrounds.com/home/I don't have the patience to organize something like that though.
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Post by PoopaPapaPalpatine on Jan 6, 2014 13:28:36 GMT -5
Makes me want to do my own Dr. Who stories. Couldn't be any worse than the mess that's been pumped out so far. As a matter of fact, I was working with someone on Spill before the closure, on trying to get a fan-community canon going: with an original Doctor and stories made by the people. Didn't get very far from a few drawings and conversations but something I'd still like to do in future. Sits right next to my DnD Game Night dream. It's probably be better than the stuff Moffat has been doing lately. Also, playing DnD online doesn't have to be a dream. It's quite easy if you have the correct tools. www.fantasygrounds.com/home/I don't have the patience to organize something like that though. Why, this just might be something I have to look into, George, thanks.
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robl
Junior Spillio
Posts: 68
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Post by robl on Jan 10, 2014 22:23:50 GMT -5
here are my theories, one the doctor's "new" regeneration cycle given to him by the time lords has caused amnesia, like in the (sigh) made for tv movie, witch for the record had a close up shot of a tire splashing a puddle in a car chase scene, proving it could not be less like doctor who. two Clara is now in charge and must use her knowledge of the doctors life to begin the search for gallifrey, witch could be the best possible device for drama. three i will giz my self upon it returning to the air!
pretty sure on the third one, do you have any thoughts on my other two point?
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Post by mali321 on Jan 17, 2014 23:56:06 GMT -5
Well there is a rumor that a new companion will possibly joining Clara and Capaldi in Series 8. Could be interesting with a third in company. Maybe someone new or someone we have seen before. I could deal with seeing Jack Harkness, Stormaggedon, Craig, or even Mr. Pond. I know some of these options may bore some, but could be interesting. www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/new-companion-joining-clara-and-capaldi-in-series-8-56391.htm
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Post by Dominick on Jan 18, 2014 8:52:37 GMT -5
I'd love for Jack to return, we haven't seen him since season 4 and Clara isn't that interesting. Also, now that this is the first season since 5 not to be split, hopefully the quality is up there.
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Post by mali321 on Jan 18, 2014 22:37:06 GMT -5
Well we have quite a long wait to see how it will go.
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Post by charlesdexterward on Dec 2, 2015 10:22:19 GMT -5
So I can only say that I still watch it. Though Clara's demise (oops, sorry) really took the biscuit.
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