Doctor Who TV Show • Page 12

I think that was kind of waved away in an episode once, basically explained as humans will convince themselves to believe what is comfortable or something along those lines. I do know it’s been addressed though, so the short answer is no, people are not generally aware of aliens.

 

a fair amount of it got explained in the Cracks in Time arc back in s5, which addressed why Amy didn't remember the big Dalek invasion and so on. I think that arc acted as a sort of reset so a lot of the major alien invasion stuff (like the Slitheen etc) aren't remembered by the public anymore

 

anyway, this was great. Jodie is so much fun and all the characters were solid although there's definite room for each one to be fleshed out. I didn't expect a permanent death with major impact on the characters so soon, that was a nice surprise that hopefully indicates some emotionally mature writing coming up in the rest of the season..

also the directing and special effects looked terrific

 

I've had time to digest the episode and my overall take away was that I loved it. The fact that it was set in Sheffield/Peak District was a dream to me - seeing places I know and visit and hearing references was amazing. The new sonic screwdriver being made out of Sheffield steel had me cheering!

Honestly, the best bit of the episode was the supporting cast and that surprised me. I thought I'd hate Bradley Walsh as I've only seen him presenting that quiz show but he fit in. The others were great and I was sad/shocked when Nan died as she was great and I would have liked to see more of her.
Jodie was fantastic. Natural and engaging. She felt like familiar Doctor but unique at the same time. Exactly what you want. A mixture of Eccleston and Tennant perhaps. It's nice to have a northern accent again. My only complaint was that some of her lines felt a bit off - that's not her fault at all and definitely a writing issue. I'll pass the writing off because the overall story was great and this was, of course, a first episode where a whole new cast was introduced. A very challenging task.

Overall, a great start and I can't wait until next week.

 

I guess I'm going to be in the minority who thought it was really quite poor.

Found all the northern elements patronising and a bit token, the attempts at the characters being relatable and normal grating and the dialog absolutely dreadful.

That exchange where each character says what they're going to do (Talk to bus drivers, Whatsapp nurses, social media) to help had me cringing out of my skin.

Also felt that they really wasted their on location shooting in Sheffield.

I'm not going to judge Whittaker yet. First episode is always a bit wonky as the new doctor settles down, but if that's the standard of material she's going to be working with, she's in for a tough time.

Maybe the new direction just isn't going to be for me.

 

some of the dialogue was pretty rough for sure. I thought the bit about the Doctor's family was wonderfully written and delivered, though, and a nice callback to one of the greatest ever scenes in this show (from Tomb of the Cybermen)

 

Yeah, I enjoyed this. Something about the music in the trailers had had me worried. The dialogue was clunky and I'd like to learn more about what drives this Doctor (I remember the great scene with Capaldi and the homeless man where Capaldi was wondering out loud about his face during his first episode). But I believe those things will get ironed out as it goes on. As far as the energy and overall vibe, Whittaker feels like the Doctor to me.

 

I liked it enough. The villain had an awesome aesthetic.

 

yes.

 

The trailer music has been bugging me too. Feels like a Freeform show. That said, I loved the actual score in the first episode.

Jodi reminds me of Tennant so far, and I'm looking forward to see what she does with the role.

 

Really solid first episode. Excited for the rest of the season.

So glad to have Who back and with a fresh new voice.

 

Mixed feelings for me, more good than bad. I really like Jodie but I'm not super sold on the supporting cast quite yet. The new production is fun to watch, but some of the editing really bothered me. And the script was just OK.

Not too worried though, it's just the first episode after all. Can't wait for next week.

 

I like Jodie but honestly I thought most of the episode was kind of a bore.

 

This second episode was... I don’t know. All the story threads resolved far too quickly.

 

New TARDIS looks amazing

 

I really liked the second episode! Perfect balance of mystery/puzzle solving and action. Safe to say the Stenza or whatever are going to be one of the main baddies this season/going forward? Yaz was underutilized this episode but I like the moments between Ryan and Graham, and I enjoyed the two race people, though I do feel like that guy conceding to win in a tie so easily was a bit out of character.

Absolutely love the new TARDIS too.

 

Yeah. This episode was really solid, felt more like Doctor Who. Still not sure that we need three companions, hoping they’ll do something to give them deeper motivations/more personality as we go on. The new TARDIS is fantastic.

 

I'm starting to think Chibbers is just way way better at writing spaceship/alien planet stuff than he is stuff set on Earth, because that was almost 42 level great

 

having said that I'd have happily shaved 5 minutes off Woman Who Fell in the middle and given them to this episode towards the end instead

 

Thought the second episode was much much better. Could have done without the Call of Duty moment, but otherwise, far more enjoyable.

Agree with the sentiment that the current set of three companions is not quite sitting right. It felt like there was a bit of battle for screen time as they tried to shoehorn lines in for each of them. Also, Bradley Walsh is kind of stealing the show for me in that area. He's the only one of the three who seems be working on screen. The other two just seem a bit awkward.

 

Did no one think that the way that the Doctor destroyed the monsters with the cigar/fire and then they just suddenly make it all the way to the ghost monument without any further problem on an apparently formidable and intimidating planet called Desolation and then the final moment where the Doctor seemingly questions herself and the fact that she has broken her promise and let them down, but then the TARDIS just appears seem a bit rushed and unsatisfying? Particularly the latter... it was just way to convenient for me and I would have been more keen on them exploring the emotion of the moment. I want to get to know this new Doctor more and that would have been a fascinating insight if they had dwelt in the disappointment for a fraction longer.

Loved the new TARDIS anyway.

Been surprised at how much I've enjoyed Bradley Walsh in these first episodes. Thought he was going to annoy me.

 

yeah I really would have cut the pointless robot dudes entirely, introduced the cloth monsters a fair bit earlier into the episode instead so we feel a bit more of a triumph when she takes them out, and maybe had a scene or two of the characters actually struggling with the environment of the supposedly cruel planet (like someone dropping something in the water that gets dissolved, a mention of side effects from the harsh atmosphere, literally anything)

it definitely wasn't perfect but it had a sense of adventure and joy to it that I really liked

 

Yeah the sense of adventure was fun. It wasn't a bad episode, it just didn't leave me feeling satisfied.

 

ahh but now it's asking me to sign in. I don't have cable =(

 

Jodie's acting really shines watching The Ghost Monument a second time, her telling the dude to "take one of your heroic naps" is just wonderful as is her genuine relief/awe when she finally sees the TARDIS

on the other hand the plot seems a lot weaker and more full of holes on rewatch, very interested to see how the first non-Chibnall episode plays out