Doctor Who

[davidcotton]

Yup. Spoilers have never bothered me in the slightest.

New book came out today. A story featuring the War Doctor.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Engines-George-Mann-ebook/dp/B00K7ED54C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406832992&sr=1-1&keywords=doctor+who

"The death of billions is as nothing to us Doctor, if it helps defeat the Daleks."

The Great Time War has raged for centuries, ravaging the universe. Scores of human colony planets are now overrun by Dalek occupation forces. A weary, angry Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes against the Dalek stronghold but in the midst of the carnage, the Doctor's TARDIS crashes to a planet below: Moldox.

As the Doctor is trapped in an apocalyptic landscape, Dalek patrols roam amongst the wreckage, rounding up the remaining civilians. But why haven't the Daleks simply killed the humans?

Searching for answers the Doctor meets 'Cinder', a young Dalek hunter. Their struggles to discover the Dalek plan take them from the ruins of Moldox to the halls of Gallifrey, and set in motion a chain of events that will change everything. And everyone.

Saving this for my summer read when I'm off.

One thing bugs me about the various portrayal of The Time War though. We've been told throughout that it was this nightmarish, hellish event. What do we get? Various Dalek skirmishes. Whilst the Daleks were at the heart of some of it, other events were happening at the time.

[cassidy]

There will only ever be one time war for me and thats the one that started in Alien Bodies. Possibly my favourite Doctor Who story ever.

[Flub]

There will only ever be one time war for me and thats the one that started in Alien Bodies. Possibly my favourite Doctor Who story ever.

It could easily be the same time war. Also once you mix in the Faction Paradox version of the war (Where the most popular theory is that the enemy was conceptual. A hostile time line) and throw in a bit of wibbly wobbly it can actually be all of them, none of them and a mixture all at the same time.

In fact the very concept of a time war lets anything you like suddenly become canon, not be canon, be both all at the same times too

[Harsin]

I prefer that than it just being Call of Duty with pew pew guns and RADA accents.

[JPickford]

I honestly don't understand it... if someone offered you a beer mat with how the series ends on it would you take it?

I think it depends on how important the plot aspect is to you. I think I enjoy the character interaction & dialogue more than anything else. Knowing what's going to happen is rarely a negative for me. I read the script first then I watched the episode so I knew what was going to happen before watching it and I loved it.

As an aside I found the missing FX in certain shots really interesting - practical make-up being replaced by CGI gave an insight into the process which I enjoyed. Once the first episode has aired I'd recommend watching the leaked version.

[Flub]

If anyone wants a set of really good guides to the Virgin New Adventures and the BBC EDAs the old I Who books have been finally released as ebooks at very cheap prices

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Unauthorized-Guide-Doctor-Novels-ebook/dp/B00KTN9XTC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407097160&sr=8-1&keywords=i+who

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Unauthorized-Doctor-Novels-Audios-ebook/dp/B00LLNRHAQ/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0WR2MAXXSRN2M8NS08WK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Unauthorized-Doctor-Novels-Audios-ebook/dp/B00M7FOOVM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1407097160&sr=8-2&keywords=i+who

Just War, an immediate lead-in to the next book, Warchild, ends with the Doctor wearing a nun’s costume. But curiously, it’s never stated that the Doctor changes out of the nun’s outfit. Just War author Lance Parkin did this deliberately, banking on the fact that Warchild author Andrew Cartmel rarely gives physical descriptions. Thus, if you like, it can be argued the Doctor is dressed as a nun for all of Warchild

[Sprite Machine]

The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood

(Blog has pictures)

When I first watched this two-parter in 2010, I was aware that the Silurians had previously featured in Doctor Who, but that was about it. They are not your typical overused villains; in fact, this is only their third appearance, or their fourth if you count their aquatic cousins, the Sea Devils. Mind you, given the physiological differences, these Silurians are pretty much distant cousins too... unless we're to believe that those old rubber suits were supposed to be masks also.

[Picture: The Doctor removes Alaya's mask.]

As the intent here is to sympathetically paint the Silurians as people rather than monsters, they have humanoid faces under those masks, but the de-monsterfying goes further than that. There is discord between the civilian government and the military, who are considered old-fashioned warmongers who need to change their ways. Cold Blood focuses on the attempt to build a peaceful relationship between the Silurians and the human race, amid tension surrounding the death of one of their soldiers, with the Doctor struggling to prove that humans aren't a threat to them. It's not dissimilar to his attempts at peaceful negotiation in the first Silurian story, which had a rather unfortunate end for the 'monsters'. The resolution here is more optimistic, and perhaps another story will revisit the Earth in the year 3010.

[Picture: The humans and Silurians attempt to arrange peaceful coexistence.]

The Doctor has come a long way since then. His grumpy third persona was dragged into these facilities by UNIT, but Eleven is positively giddy with excitement upon laying eyes on the big drilling thing and wants to get himself involved right away. While Three thought badly of humanity and was proved right, Eleven loves humans and what they can be, but is let down. Additionally, you probably wouldn't see the third Doctor making jokes in the face of danger or running around using a sonic screwdriver like it's a gun, which unfortunately happens here, but frankly, I'll take that over agonisingly drawn-out seven-part serials.

[Picture: Look, it lights up. Bang, bang!!]

That said, however, The Hungry Earth is a little drawn out itself, teasing the reveal of the creatures below the Earth. It's the schlocky monster movie to Cold Blood's political drama, and does less to set up the human characters than the second part manages under a tighter time limit. I didn't really care about any of them in part 1, but by the end of part 2, I found them quite likable and believable. As an ensemble piece, it's well-balanced and everyone has something to do. Rory is particularly good again.

[Picture: Amy is pulled into the ground by forces unseen.]

Unfortunately, poor Rory gets a raw deal. It's not good enough that he gets killed shortly before the story is over, he has to be erased from history and forgotten too. The last few stories have shown that the two companion dynamic works brilliantly, so to see him written out like this is disappointing. He will come back later but, appropriately enough, I've forgotten how (sorry, Rory)! The sudden appearance of the crack and the piece of Tardis shrapnel is forcibly squeezed into the closing minutes, killing the pace with a pointless mystery. It's not the subtlest of season arcs, this crack thing, is it?

[Picture: Riddle me this. Why couldn't the Doctor throw Restac's gun into the crack, thereby erasing it, and Rory's death, from history?]

[HarMGM]

I think this story is the first story where I started to take notice how much the art direction and cinematography had improved. The lush colours when you go underground into the big silurian reserves was just wonderfull to take notice of.

[Davros sock drawer]

I know I watched the Matt Smith episodes you're currently reviewing Sprite, but I can't remember anything about them at all. Weird.

[Sprite Machine]

Vincent and the Doctor

(Blog has pictures)

On the face of it, Vincent and the Doctor could be described as just another Doctor Who story that visits a famous person from history, adds a monster and calls it a day; but this time it's more of a personal story, more relevant to Vincent van Gogh's life and experiences. The monster, it could be said, is a metaphor for the monsters in Vincent's mind, the crippling bouts of depression that sent him into madness and despair. It would be all too easy to make light of this and handle it badly, but for the most part it works.

[Picture: The Doctor uses a mirror-like device to detect the Krafayis.]

The monster, an invisible alien called a Krafayis, is not even that important to the plot, merely serving to get the Doctor's attention and give Amy, Vincent and he something to do for half the episode. The emotional core of the story is in this world-famous artist being unappreciated in his own time and feeling worthless and irrelevant, and what could happen if he were brought into the future to see his own legacy. The ending certainly brought a lump to my throat, as Vincent's life and work are praised by the museum curator. Naturally, this being an episode written by Richard Curtis, the curator is played by Bill Nighy. Classy.

[Picture: Turn on the waterworks as Dr. Black praises van Gogh, unwittingly in his presence.]

Tony Curran's likeness to the famous artist is fortunately excellent, although his Scottish accent is hand-waved as (presumably) a quirk of the Tardis translator. The performance is also excellent, and although the scene depicting Vincent's bout of anguish is short-lived, it's also believable and maturely handled. His falling for Amy is similarly quick due to the time constraints of the episode, but similarly believable as well.

[Picture: Vincent van Gogh attempts to sell one of his "worthless" paintings for the price of a drink.]

Granted, this is an impressionistic take on van Gogh's life, painted with broad strokes for the sake of a story about an abandoned invisible alien, but it's undoubtedly written with reverence for the artist and his work, even more so than 'The Shakespeare Code' was for William Shakespeare, or 'The Unicorn and the Wasp' for Agatha Christie, and without resorting to mockery. The sets have been built and decorated to look like his paintings and the episode is more colourful than the usual desaturated style, with vibrant blues and yellows aplenty. The painted sky sequence is a treat.

[Picture: Vincent considers the challenge of painting sunflowers.]

This is a heartwarming story with a bittersweet ending. Vincent's fate couldn't be averted, but what the Doctor says about adding to the amount of goodness in his life is very true. Life is a complex thing and there are some monsters that even the Doctor cannot defeat.

[Comrade]

That was easily the best thing Richard Curtis has written in like a decade and a half.

[mdn2]

Its my favourite Matt Smith episode of Who. I know it isn't as good or as clever as some others, but I love it anyway.

[Herbalizer]

My friend is at the premiere in Cardiff. He keeps tweeting photos of Capaldi. Lucky shit

[SeanR]

Tom Baker biopic casting call news!

http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/tom-baker/31669/doctor-who-casting-call-for-film-of-tom-bakers-life

[loathsomeleopard]

Dammit, Sydney Livestream of the Q&A cancelled.

[Mogster]

I've been watching all of Matt's episodes to get ready for the new series, and Vincent & the Doctor is certainly one of the best. I didn't think much of it first time around for some reason, but on repeat viewings it's got better every time.

I'm halfway through series six now, and I still rather like the more arc heavy approach. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon is a pretty fantastic opener too, and for some reason seems better directed than anything else in the series.

Just one and a half series to go now though, and then I'm off to the cinema to see Deep Breath.

[davidcotton]

New trailer for first episode up on youtube.

[Hexx]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Fhr-HapZE

[Sprite Machine]

The Lodger

(Blog has pictures)

I enjoy these "fish out of water" stories. There's tons of potential for the Doctor to find himself lost among humans, struggling to fit in and understand their ways, but it's not something that has been done very often, probably because the Doctor has never before been quite so... alien. I can't imagine this story working with any previous Doctor like it does with Matt Smith (which is odd, because it's based on a story written for the tenth Doctor).

[The fifth Doctor was good at cricket; the eleventh is good at football. Apparently.]

With Amy trapped on a malfunctioning Tardis, the Doctor has to team up with his new flatmate Craig, played by James Corden, in a spin on the classic Odd Couple scenario. The Doctor tries to fit in during his stay but gets things hilariously wrong, and Craig gets increasingly irritated by the Doctor muscling in on his life and causing friction with his potential love interest Sophie. The wider plot is really about a monster living in the upstairs flat, but it's centred around a sweet love story full of frustration as Craig and Sophie repeatedly shy away from their feelings. Whatever opinions you might have about James Corden, he's perfectly suited to this sort of awkward character.

[The third wheel.]

"Perception filters" play a big role, and the revelation of what's really upstairs is an excellent twist with a nicely creepy tone. Unfortunately, there's a lot left unexplained, such as whose ship it was and where it went. Maybe that's not important, and the ship's control room does get re-used for the Silence in a later episode, but it's Steven Moffat's "mysterious era" where plot threads go annoyingly unresolved for years at a time, so it grates a bit.

[it's not every day the second floor of your flat turns into a spaceship and disappears.]

Despite the darker implication of an alien computer frazzling humans in an attempt to find a suitable pilot, the episode is otherwise lighthearted and comedic. Matt Smith is great as, basically, a total weirdo (sorry Matt) and the writing is funny throughout... however, it does border on the wacky for wackiness's sake at times, with the Doctor's crazy spinning machine thing and imparting information through psychic headbutts. That was too silly for me and not really needed, particularly when the story has something more meaningful to say about boring ordinary lives and not falling into a rut. It also shows the Doctor is more perceptive than he seems, as he correctly identifies the romantic desire between his new friends, suggesting his wacky routine is more of an act than a nature.

[Davros sock drawer]

however, it does border on the wacky for wackiness's sake at times, with the Doctor's crazy spinning machine thing

He does have form for that sort of thing though:

[SeanR]

just been shown episodes 1-6 are out there...

[Dotterel]

Where?

[SeanR]

dunno, I just had a bloke with a laptop show me a grab of the server before it was shut down, but he assures me that there are torrents out there.

[Hexx]

1 to 6 were on the server, there's screens of that.

But up to now only Ep1 leaked.

Reports today Ep2 is "out there" (somewhere ;()

http://torrentfreak.com/doctor-who-enter-the-dalek-workprint-fully-leaks-online-140812/

[kensei]

Are all the effects still missing?

[Mr Cochese]

Why don't they just release it normally instead of pissing around with pretend leaks? It will just be the same as the last series anyway and everyone will feel a bit embarrassed at watching a children's show as usual but keep going because of the occasional good bit just when you're about to give up forever.

[NecroMorrius]

Well, I don't care enough about Doctor 2 to worry about spoiling it with an unfinished edit, so I'll take a hit for the team and report back...

[NecroMorrius]

There's very little manic running around so far, and a lot of standing around in rooms talking, and it's all the better for it. Some great jokes from the Sontaran bloke, and some great lines from the doctor about being Scottish! Early days though, plenty of time for it to become overly ambitious as it usually does. Capaldi is channeling a PG-rated Malcolm Tucker with Alzheimer's, it's quite bizarre and fascinating to watch.

[Mr Cochese]

"Lots of planets have a Scotland!"

[NecroMorrius]

The joke is

something along the lines of him being able to complain properly now that he's Scottish. And then another one about blaming the English for everything.