Doctor Who

[Spectre]

Episode 9 - really, really cool. Best of the series by a mile.

 

[PaperBiro]

The Woman Who Fell To Earth - 8/10
The Ghost Monument - 6.5/10
Rosa - 9.5/10
Arachnids In The UK - 4/10
The Tsuranga Conundrum - 5/10
Demons of the Punjab - 9/10
Kerblam! - 7/10
The Witchfinders - 8/10
It Takes You Away - 10/10
The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos - 6/10 (3/10 for a finale)

^ Personal ratings. That was a fucking dull finale.

Chris Chibnall can't write. On a basic level. He sets up problems and doesn't follow through with them. His episodes have very little subtext beyond funny sounding alien names. The dialogue, once again, was just wooden exposition. He has a very shallow understanding of the Doctor's character and morality. His characters somehow manage to still feel incredibly static despite all the forced attempts at character development this series. He thinks the return of former Fifth Gear presenter Tim Shaw counts as a shocking twist. I shouldn't be bored enough half way through a series finale to start checking my phone.

Despite Spectre comparing this series to a Renault Espace (^), IMO there have actually been strong episodes when guest writers are in charge. The second half was a massive improvement over the first, simply because of less Chibnall. I badly wanted him to get it right with the finale because I want to be able to defend this era from everyone who seems to wishing for it to fail right now, and this series would've actually been alright had he done so. Jodie deserves way better material than this.

 

[stiggie]

Well that's the latest series over and I honestly can't think of a single episode I'd want to go back and watch again. There wasn't a single villain I'd like to see return. Nothing in this series will become iconic. No episodes, concepts, plot points or races that are so memorable that they can be summed up and instantly brought to mind through a single iconic phrase.

"Are you my mummy?"

"Don't Blink!"

"Spoilers!"

BAD WOLF

"He will knock four times."

 

[Chibouki]

Well that's the latest series over and I honestly can't think of a single episode I'd want to go back and watch again.

I liked two of them but not enough to watch it again.

On the first episode the Doctor wakes up as a woman with no memories trying to figure out what happened and... nothing!

She just remembered further in time that she is the Doctor and that's it.

Absolutely no continuity with her past life, previous incarnations, stories, allied, ennemies and friends. Some people vaguely heard about the Doctor but with a total lack of interest, no one cares.

And the Tardis? The Tardis?? It is just a Uber that you call if he is around now?

The spaceships were ugly as fuck. One that had only white paint everywhere, and the others were so badly done that the Red Dwarf from 1982 seems like the top of technology. You put pipes and electric cables all over the place and you have an alien space ship? That simple?

Like PaperBiro I wanted to like it because I don't want it to end but this was way worst than I expected. Maybe the Christmast special will fix something... I hope so but I have small hopes.

 

[PaperBiro]

On the first episode the Doctor wakes up as a woman with no memories trying to figure out what happened and... nothing!

She just remembered further in time that she is the Doctor and that's it.

That's exactly the problem with Chibnall's writing in a nutshell. There's no payoff. He sets up a problem and then solves it a minute later. It doesn't add anything to a story.

The spaceships were ugly as fuck. One that had only white paint everywhere, and the others were so badly done that the Red Dwarf from 1982 seems like the top of technology. You put pipes and electric cables all over the place and you have an alien space ship? That simple?

Yea, they're very 60s-80s scifi... the finale was as well. Stuff like the Ux was, definitely. I'm not sure Chibnall understands that sci-fi is about having an idea to revolve around rather than just having an aesthetic. Episodes like The Ghost Monument, Stitch/Nibbler in a Hospital and even the finale didn't really have much of a point to them.

 

[Chibouki]

I guess that most of the Doctor's fans would have done better than Chibnall.

Take me, the first episode would have been all about the Tardis:

1- The Doctor (Capaldi) is agonising on the floor of the Tardis unable to regenate. The Tardis is not able to make it happen.
2- The Tardis in desperation says "Locate Doctor's daughter".
3- The Tasdis find Jenny and bring her onboard.
4- The Tardis tries to convince her to fusion with the Doctor and become "The Timelord" and perpetuate the race and goals.
5- She finally agree and get mixed with Capaldi's body.
6- She regenates as Jody Whittaker (Or keep Jenny's actress) and says "The Timelord is back".
7- End of story.

Instead we had a toddler Doctor doing not much around.

 

[Spectre]

I expect loud, public Ghostbusters-reboot-esque complaints from BBC/Dr. Who staff that the series failed due to misogyny/sexism/racism/some other -ism (instead of admitting the real cause - the writing was terrible and the writer/showrunner needs to be fired) incoming in ten... nine... eight... seven... six...

I guess that most of the Doctor's fans would have done better than Chibnall.

Take me, the first episode would have been all about the Tardis:

1- The Doctor (Capaldi) is agonising on the floor of the Tardis unable to regenate. The Tardis is not able to make it happen.
2- The Tardis in desperation says "Locate Doctor's daughter".
3- The Tasdis find Jenny and bring her onboard.
4- The Tardis tries to convince her to fusion with the Doctor and become "The Timelord" and perpetuate the race and goals.
5- She finally agree and get mixed with Capaldi's body.
6- She regenates as Jody Whittaker (Or keep Jenny's actress) and says "The Timelord is back".
7- End of story.

Instead we had a toddler Doctor doing not much around.

Your proposed episode would have been far better than that travesty they tried to fob off on us.

 

[PaperBiro]

I expect loud, public Ghostbusters-reboot-esque complaints from BBC/Dr. Who staff that the series failed due to misogyny/sexism/racism/some other -ism (instead of admitting the real cause - the writing was terrible and the writer/showrunner needs to be fired) incoming in ten... nine... eight... seven... six...

I'm not sure it's really failed by the BBC's terms to be honest, ratings and international sales are both up apparently. Critical reception isn't up, but I doubt the accountants care. Audience feedback scores haven't gone down by much - most people who watch it in the UK are casual fans who want something nice and simple after Countryfile, I guess. (edited because I misread your original comment)

I guess that most of the Doctor's fans would have done better than Chibnall.

Funnily enough, I've been left so frustrated by the writing this year that I've started writing my own ideas down on a Microsoft Word file. My first episode involves a giant underground hospital ward, alien lizards that feed on serotonin, a negligent aunt and an old lady who's secretly running a cult.

Maybe the Christmast special will fix something... I hope so but I have small hopes.

I've just noticed that the title of the episode is "Resolution". I hope it's more of a finale too...

 

[PaperBiro]

I hate to be so harsh on the guy, Series 11 has been far from a total disaster but I care too much about this show


Someone edited their 4 month old post on reddit.
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[stiggie]

I liked the New Year's Day special "Resolution". It was the only episode of series 11 that I would actually go back and re-watch one day.

 

[PaperBiro]

Agreed. Resolution was solid. Far from perfect, but solid.

I really hope Chibs starts writing more like that in the future.

 

[MWF]

I liked the New Year's Day special "Resolution". It was the only episode of series 11 that I would actually go back and re-watch one day.

I was too busy being annoyed that they gave the Police a 2000 MY E46 Touring in 2019.

 

[DanRoM]

I was too busy being annoyed that they gave the Police a 2000 MY E46 Touring in 2019.

I was far more annoyed that Lynn's Mondeo was apparently imported from Australia (right-hand drive, speedo with KPH scale).

Apart from the automotive faults, the special was by far the best ep of the new series. I liked that they took a somewhat new or at least unusual approach to Daleks, even if there were some holes in the storytelling.

The rest of the series was varying degrees of boring. Something happens, then a complication appears out of nowhere, then the Doctor rambles some incoherent technobabble and the problem somehow disappears. And Jodie Whittaker's Doctor mainly runs around the scenery confused, but without the verve that Tennant or Capaldi brought to it.

 

[MWF]

I've found it very lame for several seasons now. Far too much box-ticking political correctness and absolutely no balls. Capaldi could have been so much better given proper direction and material.

Yes, I know, it's a technically a kids' show targetting a family audience but there is no menace whatsoever and the stories are just boring.

 

[DanRoM]

I have one major complaint regarding the new team of characters: three companions are just too much. None of them got the screen time needed for proper characterization.

 

[MWF]

I agree but then how else do you ensure all the boxes are ticked regarding age, gender, ethnicity and disability? They have quotas, don't you know, made ever more difficult to fill since TG continues and will continue to be presented by 3 middle aged men?

 

[Matt2000]

Just one Bradley Walsh is too much for me, he's in everything at the moment on ITV and I can't take him seriously. Not sure how he was even allowed to get a gig with the Beeb. I like the guy, don't get me wrong, but not in what should be a serious/scary sci-fi horror.

Being the massive petrolhead nerd that I am (MWF can confirm due to the E46 thing) I went back and watched that section again with the cars. The Mondeo could've been from Ireland as they use km/h but I would bet good money it's stock footage, that speedo and tach aren't close to the ones in a 2011/12 Mondy. It's actually from an Opel Corsa C (there's a red mark at 50km/h that I assume is the maximum safe speed before it falls apart). It doesn't really hurt the show but it seems very lazy.

Anyway apart from that it was nice to see a different approach to the Daleks. We actually got to see one moving outside of its armour and introduced a new type that has new, never-before-seen powers. When in the armour, the story conveniently avoids the fact that it's obviously not as strong as normal Dalek armour and if the crew of that tiny tank/APC weren't dead they should be sacked for not firing the only potentially useful weapon when everyone else around is being zapped.

 

[DanRoM]

Damn it @Matt2000, I was just about to post that about the Corsa C thing! Spent half an hour researching it!

 

[stiggie]

Anybody else think that the scene of the Dalek constructing his armour was written to parallel the scene from episode one of the Doctor constructing her new sonic screwdriver?

 

[PaperBiro]

No, but I like that. My first thought was they're making a British Leyland Dalek.