So the reason Missy was so bloody rough is because she/he is "the Master" in Drag
Disappointed so far, to be honest. If he's going to keep fighting the same enemies endlessly what's the point. Let's have some new opponents rather than endlessly "finishing off" the same old same old. To date The Impossible Girl isn't a patch on Bad Wolf come to that. I'd hoped for better scripts to be honest. Mummy on the Orient Express is the only really good episode in this series. Shame because Capaldi and Coleman are good actors who are being completely wasted by weak scripts, ludicrous plotting and poor characterisation. Danny Pink has been a wasted opportunity too.
Ithoriel - 1189
Yes I agree, Several times I have thought "why did I bother watching" but kept hoping for an improvement.
The episode with the trees was very weird - No real explanation of what caused the trees to grow, or suddenly dissapear.
I've watched Doctor Who since the end of Hartnell's time. There were occasional duff stories all through the 'classic' era (The Dominators, anyone?). For sheer consistent duffness of storyline I find episodes written by Steven Moffatt hard to beat. The 'Kill the Moon' episode was plain ludicrous! My wife complains, and I agree, that Moffatt cannot write female roles, and the tone of his writing in general is that of a 12 y-o boy.
I like Capaldi in the role of the Doctor. I generally like the acting and production values. I'll keep watching because I'm a life-long fan, but the BBC had better hurry up and find a safer pair of hands for Doctor Who than Moffatt's! >:(
The frustrating thing for me is that Moffat has penned some of the best ever Dr Who episodes, as far as I'm concerned. Blink, The Girl in the Fireplace and Silence in the Library are my favourites by quite a long way.
Perhaps the problem is that he is better at monsters than people?
Very patchy series but Capaldi has not had much to go on to be honest. As a family we haven't really watched it together, which is unusual. Will see the series finale tomorrow together I think just to see what happens with Missy etc.
Quote from: Poggle on 06 November 2014, 04:58:28 PM
The 'Kill the Moon' episode was plain ludicrous!
I like Capaldi in the role of the Doctor. I generally like the acting and production values. I'll keep watching because I'm a life-long fan, but the BBC had better hurry up and find a safer pair of hands for Doctor Who than Moffatt's! >:(
Yep I forgot that completely stupid episode. The moon is an Egg and the new hatchling from the egg immediatly lays another "egg" that must be larger than he is.
I do like Capaldi, he is more like i think the Doctor should be - Impatient with the "slow thinking Humans and their niaivety". Harsh because he has had a long time to see the realities of life.
Have watched the whole series......A couple of times I've thought "Why did I bother ?"
Overall......OK....ish. I suppose.
Do like Capaldi as the Doctor though.
Cheers - Phil
I agree about the story lines, mostly the've been poor to mediocre and the moon/egg hing was just daft.
I am liking Capaldi though but he's being hampered by the scripts and I'm getting bored with the same old monsters, there needs to be more subtlety in the writing, not just rolling out Darleks, Cybermen and the Master/Mistress.
I've just watched some of the Ecclestone Whos. The stories are far more interesting and gritty. Seems to me this series is very eco-friendly. "The moon is a precious egg", "the trees will save the planet", "A Dalek may be good".
Bah! What we need is more mayhem.
Yes more destruction is needed..Can we blow up Skaro again?
This thing between Pink and Whatserface is terribly drippy, like something out of Mills and Boone (I imagine). Most of the time I just want to punch him in his self-pitying, whiney face. But on the whole I agree that this has been a monumental waste of Peter Capaldi.
I've enjoyed it, but an absolute classic.
IanS - 7?
Quote from: Dour Puritan on 07 November 2014, 12:49:14 PM
This thing between Pink and Whatserface is terribly drippy . . .
The trouble is, every time someone says "Mr. Pink", I start looking for Mr. White and Mr. Blonde . . .
Cheers, Martyn
Pink is just a pale imitation of Mickey. He's a bit of a stroppy pillock. Was quite glad to hear he'd died. >:(
At least the Drama channel is showing complete 4 parters of Hartnell and Troughton series on a Sunday afternoon
Retro TV is showing the classic series weeknights here in the US. We're up to Pertwee at the moment.
As for this latest episode, my wife and I are both wondering if Moffatt was frightened by Mary Poppins as a lad. :P
The final episode of this series ?
'Fraid I didn't enjoy that at all.
Hope we go back to the 'old format', as was mentioned earlier.
Cheers - Phil
But at least Pink is dead!
Huzzah!
What irrational dislikes? - FSN
Least convincing Zombie Apocalypse ever :(
So much wasted talent in this series, so many wasted opportunities.
Also, who the hell trains UNIT's troops? Madame Tussauds?
Ross Kemp's "Henno" Garvie would have wasted Missy before she'd got those cuffs half undone :-)
Ooh is Pink dead? Thank god for small mercies.
Quote from: Ithoriel on 08 November 2014, 09:44:19 PM
Least convincing Zombie Apocalypse ever :(
So much wasted talent in this series, so many wasted opportunities.
Have to go along with that, totally !
I think they all played their parts very well...(Mostly ! ;))...But many of the roles themselves, left an awful lot to be desired.
I felt quite sorry for the chap that played Mr Pink.
Cheers - Phil
Well I like the current series :P
Oddly enough the Fandom seem to rave about the Moon one, which I think was the weakest. Though I did wonder about those two guards for Missy. I think she was using the teleporter thingie (she beamed out at the end - the FX was blue, not red for the kill shot). Course the SAS would have had her in plasticuffs (well, cable ties). I assume UNIT is international - those 2 in the hold were obviously Yanks. (Loved the commend - "Not the Americans, they bomb every thing then try to pray it away)
I think there is far too much rose tinting regarding original series - they could be pretty ropey. Even the classic 'City of Death' (Leonardo is a swamp thingie one) is very slow, and could easily be done as 2 x 45m with no loss (and still some slack)
Tomb of the Cybermen, Drama Channel 4pm today
Not that great to be honest. You knew that the 'good guys' would control the cybermen (again) to sort things out. My son is a fan of the Dalek episodes and looking back they are very iffy in places; with weak scripts and stilted acting. Rose tinted spectacles and all that can make previous episodes and series seem great.
I have very rose tinted glasses and plenty of nostalgia to munch on while I watch ;)
So true that many of the original Dr Who episodes were nothing to write home about but they had at least a semblance of internal logic.
For me the relationship between The Doctor and Clara made no sense at all given their previous history and the relationship between Danny and Clara was so underdeveloped and unconvincing as to make the last episode wholly unbelievable. Seriously, Danny Pink, Mr rufty-tufty soldier boy, is so heartbroken that he'd rather be a cyberman than lose the woman who's consistently lied to him, ignored him and run off with another "man" ... we haven't seen enough of that relationship for that to be believable. If he was a pre-pubescent twelve year old maybe it would be believable.
Three excellent actors doing a damn fine job despite being given sod all to work with by way of plot or script! >:(
As before, please, please, please can we stop upgrading old monsters and have some new ones. If every third episode features the daleks or the cybermen then Dr Who becomes a story of temporal whack-a-mole! Why give cybermen the ability to fly (leave that to Iron Man) lets have a new enemy who can fly from the off. Ditto levitating daleks to be honest.
In the original star trek the cast complained that the third series turned into a creature feature and what monster would they have to overcome this week, but the TV company said that it was what the public wanted
I'll simply post some comments i made elsewhere... :P
Part 1
Well Bob its been a great match so far; top grade entertainment and i have to say its a close call but i'm giving Man of the Match to Dr Who. Wait, he's got the ball again, oh, that's some excellent skills in the midfield. I think he's making a break for it. He is! We're on for another score here. He dodges, he weaves, i think..yes, he's in the box! The defence are all over the place!! It's an open goal!!! OH NO!! HE'S FLUFFED IT!! I can't believe it! Choked in the open net...
Ahem.
Yes. Well, a really creepy and genuinely disturbing episode to set up the finale for the first Capaldi season.
Big reveal...it's coming...it's coming! Here it is...It's the Rani!
Wait.
WHAT?!!?
Are you kidding? The Mastress?
Not the Rani then?
Part 2
The Mastress still isn't right. Michelle Gomez is excellent, and its a brilliantly bonkers character and performance....buuuuuut...it's not right that its The Master.
Don't get me wrong, gender change during regeneration is fine - heck i wanted Tilda Swinton to play this Doctor...it's just not working as the Mastress. For me at least.
OK, the episode was a bit of a plot mish-mash I thought - it lacked a bit of focus for me, but everything that happened was pretty damned awesome.
I'll try to avoid spoilers but the Danny/Clara thing was excellently heartbreaking.
The UNIT action was good to see and nicely muted; and Osgood...well...that CAN'T be the last we see of her...it just can't be.
And, well, the whole thing with the Brigadier was just brilliant.
The loose ends with Gallifrey are obviously setting things up for next season, which is fine, but talking of loose ends...
This was the best part of the finale for me...understated, personal, intimate, and a ragged ending bursting with unresolved loose ends.
Simply brilliant.
OK, so looking forwards, the Xmas episode looks...ugh...
We'll see i suppose but the teaser didn't blow my sonic screwdriver off.
What I am hopeful for is that Capaldi will now have space to bring the Doctor back to the centre of the series. Given the Doctor's 'realisation of himself' in this episode, i'm really not sure where the character will be going, so it'll be interesting finding out.
Watching Tomb of the Cybermen. It's verging on painful. I'll ignore the BBC 60's SFX - that can't be helped. Disregard the acting - Troughton's good, many of the rest are not much better than the cybermen who are SUPPOSED to be robotic - but lets assume that was the style of the age (despite Troughton showing it isn't). Ditto the direction.
The plot is as thin as [blank]. The whole script could be much tighter - there is no way this should have taken 90 minutes so far. There are big lumps that make no sense, at the best some parts are only there to make a Chekhov gets on screen. Anyone who has a Nu Who episode that they would rather swap for this is 'internet-meme-hipster' - liking the original stuff purely because it's 'original'.
The companions are inconsequential - no characterisation, purely there to Watson or to push a lever.
Really enjoyed that.
Having seen the last episode, I am not sure I am going to bother with the next series or even the Christmas special . Some of the episodes have been reasonable, but the majority have been poor to appaling. I would rather spend the time painting figures.
Richard Attenbrough turning up from his stint on 34th Street is going to be a bit hard to take. Hopefully I'll have the extended version of The Desolation of Smaug by then.
I rather enjoyed the last episode, I've always thought the cyber men where the scariest monsters in Dr Who, they are so like and so far removed from humanity, which makes them both scary and sad; the point where Danny took of his face mask to show the reality of a cyberman was quite moving. BUT there were too many holes in the storyline, the master/mistress was a nice touch but she was too self aware in her barking madness which detracted from the chilling effect which a true Master should convey . Incidentally the ' Mastress' was a creation by Michael Manning in his Spider Garden series of graphic novels, WARNING, do not check this out if you are easily offended.
Quote from: Dour Puritan on 11 November 2014, 12:25:20 PM
Richard Attenbrough turning up from his stint on 34th Street is going to be a bit hard to take. Hopefully I'll have the extended version of The Desolation of Smaug by then.
Oooh !....Is that out soon ?
(Squeaks of excitement. ! :))
Cheers - Phil.
Extended versions generally come out about a year after the cinema version.
It's out , I've just watched it !
AWWWWW !!!
It's me posting while being half awake this morning.....It's part three I want to see.....I suppose that still hasn't even reached the cinemas yet.
(Teach me to get all excited. :'( :'( :'()
Cheers - Phil
Quote from: Techno on 13 November 2014, 01:01:38 PM
AWWWWW !!!
It's me posting while being half awake this morning.....It's part three I want to see.....I suppose that still hasn't even reached the cinemas yet.
(Teach me to get all excited. :'( :'( :'()
Cheers - Phil
12th December for UK
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Worldwide Release Dates by Country (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2310332/releaseinfo)
Appearance at local cinemas may vary of course!
Well get myself onto Amazon Prime and get myself a copy of part II extended for Christmas.
Well....That's no good at all. ;)
Don't have these modern moving picture houses in rural Pembrokeshire.
(Not that I'd go, even if we did. ;D ;D ;D)
I'll just wait until it comes out on DVD and watch it in the peace and tranquility (HAH !!) of Techno Towers. ;)
Cheers - Phil.
Labradors and peace and tranquility....sounds wrong, the continual "Feed Me", Walk Me and fuss me.
IanS